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PROCEEDINGS OF THE EXPEDITION
TO EXPLORE THE
NORTHERN COAST OF AFRICA,
FROM
T R I P O L Y
EASTWARD ;
IN MDCCCXXI. AND MDCCCXXII.
COMPREHENDING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE GREATER SYRTIS AND CYRENAICA;
AND OF THE ANCIENT CITIES COMPOSING
THE PENTAPOLIS.
BY CAPTAIN F. W. BEECHEY, R.N., F.R.S.,
AND
. H. AV. BEECHEY, Esq., F.S.A.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE - STREET.
MDCCCXXVIIl.
LONDON:
Printed b\r WILLIAM CLOWES,
Stamford:Street.
y
DEDICATION.
TO
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE EARL BATHURST,
AND
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE LORD VISCOUNT MELVILLE,
&C. &C. &C.
My Lords,
We beg leave to submit to your inspection our account of
the Proceedings of the Expedition to which we had the honour of
being appointed by your Lordships ; and to express our best thanks
for the flattering encouragement which it receives from the sanction
of your Lordships’ names.
A book of travels in countries so interesting as those to which
our researches have been directed, would once have been considered,
however indifferently it might be written, as a tribute of more than
ordinary value to its patrons. Put so much has been effected, during
your Lordships’ administration, for the advancement of science and
general knowledge, that a traveller of our own times appears before
the public, unassisted by the presence of that little cloud of mystery
through which he would formerly have been seen to so much advan-
tage ; and his work must no longer depend for its attractions upon
DEDICATION.
V
wonders which have ceased to be marvelled at ; or hair-breadth
escapes, which have now become familiar, and no longer excite an
awe, almost amounting to reverence, for those who return to tell of
them. Our book will, however, possess the advantage of novelty ;
for the country through which we have passed is, even in the pre-
sent day, little known to the general reader ; and its remains have
never been described with sufficient accuracy to make them properly
intelligible. We confess that our narrative will chiefly be found
acceptable to those who are interested in the description of antiqui-
ties, and have pleasure in tracing the connexion between the past
and the present in countries described by ancient poets and historians.
We must even allow that those parts of our journal which have
been considered by some as the most entertaining, are those which
we should spare with as little regret as the public would probably
experience in parting with them. Such as our work is, however,
we submit it, respectfully, to the attention, as well as to the indul-
gence of your Lordships ; and shall be happy if the little tribute
which we offer to private worth and public desert, may be found in
some measure deserving of the honour which patronage so distin-
guished has conferred upon it.
If our researches have enabled us to contribute any matter of
interest to that large and valuable fund of pubhc knowledge, which
has accumulated so considerably during your Lordships’ official
career, it will be read with some feeling of internal satisfaction by
those who afforded us the means of acquiring it ; and we ourselves
shall look back with pleasure upon labours which have not been
unattended by advantage. If it might have chanced (as we have
VI
DEDICATION.
reason to believe) that, at a moment when economy had been less
imperative than it was at the period of our Expedition, we could
have extended our researches farther ; we feel convinced, at the
same time, that your Lordships would also, at a period more auspi-
cious than that which we allude to, have enabled us to prosecute
them with greater effect.
"With these impressions, we have the honour to remain,
My Lords,
Your Lordships’ grateful and obedient Servants,
HENRY W. BEECHEY,
FREDERIC W. BEECHEY.
Harley -Street, June, 1827.
CONTENTS.
Introduction
xix
CHAPTER I.
Arrival of the Expedition at Tripoly ; pleasing appearance of the Town from the Sea — Friendly
Reception of the Party by the Consul— Interview with the Bashaw, who promises his pro-
tection and assistance — Appointment of the Escort — Visits to some of the Mahometan Resi-
dents in Tripoly — Sidi Mahommed d’Ghies — Preparations for the Journey — Adoption of the
Costume of the Country — This precaution recommended on the experience of the Party —
Visit from the Arab Escort — Description of their principal, Shekh Mahommed el Dubhah —
Sketch of the Shekh’s former Life — Friendly attentions of the European Residents of Tripoly
— Arrival of Dr. Oudney and Lieutenant Clapperton ... - Page 1
CHAPTER II.
General Description of Tripoly ; its Castle and Port — The Buildings of Tripoly commended by
Leo Africanus — Present Condition of the City — Its existing ancient remains— Burial-ground
of the Ancient City — Sepulchral urns of glass discovered there by Mr. Consul Warrington —
Remarks of Leo Africanus on the soil and level of Tripoly in the fifteenth and sixteenth
Centuries — Accumulation of soil since that period — Advance of the Sea, mentioned by
Leo Africanus, still observable on the Coast of Northern Africa — These appearances adduced
in confirmation of Major Rennell’s remarks on the Lake Tritonis and the Lesser Syrtis — His-
torical Sketch of Tripoly — Its actual state and improved condition under the present Bashaw
— Abolition of Piracy, and partial discontinuance of the Slave Trade - - - 12
CHAPTER III.
Departure of the Expedition from Tripoly — Passage through Tagiura — Fertile appearance of
the latter — Its Mosque, and actual remains — Tagiura considered as the site of Abrotonum —
Existence of a Salt-water Lake at Tagiura, consistent with Strabo’s account of Abrotonum
— Present tranquil condition of the Country in this Neighbourhood contrasted with its
dangerous state in the time of Consul Tully — Sand-heaps to the eastward of Tagiura —
CONTENTS.
Remarks on tlieir formation, and on the accumulation of Sand in other places — Dangers of
the Sand-storm considered — Passage over tlie Sandy Tract to the eastward of Tagiura —
Arrive at Wady Ramleh — Stormy weather at that place — Take leave of our European
friends who had accompanied us from Tripoly — Continuance of the gale — Arrive at
Wady’m’Seyd — Attempt to pass, without success, across the Sand-hills to the Coast — Arrive
at Guadigmata — Position of Graphara, as laid down by Scylax, considered — Ancient remains
discovered by Captain Smyth in the neighbourhood of Wady’m’Seyd and Abdellata —
Remarks on these, considered as the remains of Graphara — Scuffle with the Arabs at Sidy
Abdellati — Remains at that place indicative of an ancient military station — Cross the range
of Selem — Extensive view from its summit over the fertile plains of Lebida and Jumarr —
Rains still continue — Distress of the Camels — Meet with the English Consul on his return
from an Excursion to Lebida— Report of a troop of marauding Arabs lying in wait for our
Party - 33
CHAPTER IV.
Arrival at Lebida — Remarks on its position and resources as compared with those of Tripoly
— Short account of the City and its remains — Allusion to the African Tribe Levatae (or
Levata) by Procopius — The same Tribe mentioned by Leo Africanus — Suggestions of Major
Rennell on the resemblance between the terms Levata and Libya — Former position of this
Tribe near the Coast confirmed by Procopius — Remarks on the term Lybia — Visit from the
Shekh of Lebida — Violent Storm at that place retards tlie advance of the party — Intrusion
upon the premises of a celebrated Mardbtit — Dangerous consequences of this intrusion pre-
dicted by our escort — Departure from Lebida — Remains of the Aqueduct, and of the Cause-
way mentioned by Strabo — Arrive at the River Cinyphus, now Wad’el Khdhan — Remarks
on the River and the Morass in its immediate Neighbourhood — Observations on the faulty
position of the Cinyphus in the Maps of Cellarius— This position probably suggested by some
remarks of Pliny, Ptolemy, and Mela— Extreme fertility of the region of the Cinyphus —
Remarks on this district, and that of Byzacium— Suggestions of Signor Della Celia with
respect to them — Present appearance of the region of the Cinyphus consistent with the de-
scription of Herodotus — Neglected condition of the district under the Arabs — Account of
Lebida and its remains by Captain Smyth ..-----50
CHAPTER V.
Arrival at Zeliten — Description of the Village and District of that name — Harbour of Zeliten
Remains in its Neighbourhood probably those of the Cisternae Oppidum of Ptolemy — Tomb
of the Mardbut Sidy Abd el Saldm — Respect shewn to it by our party in passing before it
General appearance of these Structures — Arab credulity and superstition — Leave Zeliten
Remains between it and Selin — Arrive at Selin, the Orir, apparently, of Signor Della Celia
CONTENTS.
IX
— Proceed to Zouia — Ports called by the Arabs Mersa Gusser and Mersa Zoraig — Arrive at
Mesurata, the Western Boundary of the Greater Syrtis — Description of the Town and Dis-
trict of Mesurata — Account of them by Leo Africanus — Visit from the Shekh of Mesurata —
Splendid Costume and Equipage of the Shekh compared with that of our Bedouin Guide,
Shekh Mahommed el Dubbah — Allusion to the report mentioned at the end of the Third
Chapter — Great demand for Medicine at Mesurata — Considerate conduct of Mr. Campbell —
Speedy success of his treatment in many difficult cases — Miraculous cure of a young Arab
woman by an itinerant Sherif and Marabut — Detention of the party at Mesurata — Observa-
tions on Cape Mesurata, considered as the Cephalus Promontorium of Strabo — Remarks of
Signor Della Celia on this subject — Alterations proposed by that gentleman in the punctua-
tion of a passage in Strabo descriptive of the Promontory — Actual appearance of the Pro-
montory sufficiently consistent with the account of Strabo — Well-founded Remarks of Signor
Della Celia on the extension of the Gharian Chain, &c. — Extensive View from the Sand-hills
at the back of Mesurata — Singular contrast presented by the view over the dreary wastes of
the Syrtis compared with that over the plain of Mesurata — Hot wind, and swarm of Locusts
accompanying it — Alarm of the Arabs of Mesurata — Precautions adopted by them on the
occasion — Destructive consequences (mentioned by Shaw) resulting from the visit of a flight
of Locusts which he witnessed — Remarks of Pliny on the same subject — Arrival of the
Camels, and departure from Mesurata ........ gl
CHAPTER VI.
Entrance of the Syrtis — Extensive Lake, or Marsh, described by Strabo — Remarks of Strabo
compared with tlie actual appearance and extent of the Marsh — -Remains considered as those
of the ancient Naval Station, described by Strabo, at the Mouth of the Lake — Appear-
ance of another Station more to the northward — Gulf of Zuca — Remarks of Signor Della
Celia connected with it — ^Resemblance of the names Zuchis and Zuca — Non-existence of
the Gulf of Zuca in the Greater Syrtis — Error of D’Anville and modern Geographers on
this point — Remarks of Signor Della Celia on the terms Marsh and Lake, as applied to the
body of water mentioned by Strabo — Dimensions of the existing Marsh — Alleged danger of
crossing it — Insulated spots in several parts of the Marsh, corresponding with the accounts
of Strabo — Arrival at Sooleb — Appearance of Pasturage in this Neighbourhood — Liberality
of Shekh Mahommed — Cause of it ascertained — Sooleb occupies the place assigned in modern
Charts to the Gulf of Zuca — Continuance of the Marsh — Remains near Mahada called Kusser
el Jdbbah — Story connected with them related by the Dubbali — Unwillingness of our Arab
Guides to cross the Marsh — Cause of this ascertained — Narrow escape of two of our party —
Nature of the Soil in this Neighbourhood — French Inscription left by the Boats of
the Chevrette — Another left by the Barge of the Adventure — Arrive at Mahad Hassan,
probably the Turriss Hassan of Edrisi — Remains at Mahad Hassan — Arrive at Giraff, where
the Marsh terminates altogether — Refractory conduct of our Camel-drivers — Improvement
b
X
CONTENTS.
in the appearance of the country — Arrival at ZafFran — Grateful verdure of its Pasturage —
Remains at Zalfran considered as those of Aspis — Their nature and appearance described —
Port called Mersa Zaffran considered as that of Aspis — Difficulties attending this position —
Remains on the Beach — Supposed Date of the Buildings at Zaffran— Remarks connected with
them — Castles mentioned by Leo Africanus — Construction of the Forts at Zaffran - 113
CHAPTER VII.
Remarks on the City of Sort, or Sert, of Edrisi and other Arab Geographers — Description of
it by Leo Africanus — Position of Sert, on the authority of Abulfeda — Zaffran considered as
Asna — Remarks of Major Rennell on these Places — Remains at Medindt Sultkn considered
as those of Sort — Columns and other Remains described by Signor Della Celia, in the
Neighbourhood of Zaffran — Train of Argument adopted by the Doctor on this occasion —
Remarks of the same Writer on the Tower of Euphrantas, and the Town of Charax, as laid
doum by Strabo — Nature of the Inscriptions on the Columns alluded to by Signor Della
Celia — Formidable Appearance of the Coast at Zaffran — General Appearance of the Country
in its Neighbourhood — Species of Crocus abounding there — Obliging Treatment of our Party
by the Arabs of Zaffran — Arrival at Medinet Sultkn — Description of its Remains — Further
Remarks on the Tower of Euphrantas — Arrival at Nehim — Aukward Situation of Shekh
Mahommed el Ddbbah — Visit of the Dubbah to our Tent — Object of it discovered — Depar-
ture of Shekh Mahommed, well pleased with the result of his Visit - - - 150
CHAPTER VIII.
Leave Nehim — Arrive at Boosaida — Shekh Hamed Shakshak — Return of Shekh Mahommed —
Revival of the Report above mentioned — Motive for renewing it — Discharge our Mesurata
Camel-drivers — Treaty with the Dubbah for others — Interested conduct of Shekh Ma-
hommed— Commencement of another Salt-Lake at Sharfa — Easy mode of shifting Quarters
practised by the Arabs — Tlieir manner of travelling — Termination of the Lake — Arrive at
Shegga — Remains of Forts observed there — Other Remains in its neighbourhood — Abund-
ant Pasturage at Shegga — Fortress of Bengerwad — Peculiarities of its Position — Bengerwad
considered as the Castle of Euphrjintas — Objections to this supposition — Reasons in favour
of it — Leave Wady Shegga — Cross a Tract of Red Sand — Spacious Bay at Ras Howeijah
— Good Anchorage probably found there — Remains of an ancient Tonm near Ras Howeijah
considered as those of Charax — Trade of Charax alluded to, as mentioned by Strabo — Further
reasons for placing the Tower of Euphrantas at Bengerwad — Allusion to the barter of
Silphium at Charax — Emendations of Strabo’s Text proposed by Signor Della Celia — Arrive
at Hudia — Alleged Origin of this Name as applied to the place in question — Hudia lately
infested by a formidable Band of Robbers — Precautions of our Arab Escort to prevent any
Attack — Rigorous Measures of Mahommed Bey apparently very necessary — Remarkable Hill
CONTENTS.
XI
of Gypsum at Hudia — Celebration of Christmas-day by our Party at Hudia — Fortress at
Mabiriga — Arrival of a party of Pilgrims from the W estward — Disturbance at Linoof —
Apparent causes of it — 111 behaviour of the Diibbah — His sudden change of Conduct, and
artful Manoeuvres — Remarks on Arab Character — Satisfactory Termination of the Disturb-
ance— Arrival at Mukhtdr, the Boundary of the Districts of Syrt and Barka - - 17S
CHAPTER IX.
Barren and desolate appearance of the Country in the Neighbourhood of Muktdhr — Sulphur
Mines at Kebrit — Extensive Marsh near Muktdhr — Arrive at Sachrin, the southernmost
Point of the Gulf — Singularly desolate and comfortless Appearance of it — Examination
of the Coast from the Heights of Jeria — Extreme Difference of its Outline from that laid
down in modern Charts — Suggested Causes of this Error — Accumulation of Sand on the
Beach in this Neighbourhood — Alarm of Signor Della Celia in passing it — Causes of this
Accumulation considered — Character of the Country at the Bottom of the Gulf — Obser-
vations of Signor Della Celia respecting it — Allusion of the Doctor to the Expedition of
the Psylli — Remarks on the Latitude of this part of the Gulf — Monuments of the Philaeni
— Record of their Patriotism by Sallust — Various Positions of the Philsenian Altars by the
Ancients — Boreum Promontorium and Oppidum of Cellarius — Suggested Causes of their
Position by this Author in the Bottom of the Gulf — Observations on the Nature of the
Soil of the Greater Syrtis — Allusion to the March cf Cato across it — Island calltd
Bushaifa at the Bottom of the Gulf — Gradual Improvement in the Appearance of the Country
— Arrival at Braiga — Remains observed there — Harbour of Braiga — Heaps of Sulphur
lying on the Beach there for Embarkation — Salt Lake and Marsh at Braiga below the Level
of the Sea — Well-constructed Forts at Braiga — Braiga considered as the Site of Automala
— Contest between the Avarice and Conscience of the Ddbbah — Its termination in favour
of the latter — Arrival at Tabilba — Excavations and Remains there — Tabilba considered
as the Maritime Stationes of Ptolemy — Arrive at Ain Agan — Chain of Salt Lakes and
Marshes said to extend two Days to the South-eastward — Island of Gara, probably the
Gaia of Ptolemy — Wells of sweet Water, two Miles to the North-cast of Shiebah — Abduc-
tion of a Lamb from an Arab Shepherd by our Party — Consequences of this Measure — De-
parture of the Dubbah in search of his Camels — Arrival at Carcora — Two Boat Coves ob-
served there — Springs of Fresh Water within a few feet of a Salt Water Lake — Arrive at
Ghimenes — Forts and Remains there — Excavated Tombs in the Neighbourhood — Change of
Weather experienced — Wasted Condition of our Horses from Fatigue and want of Water —
Hardy Constitution of the Barbary Horses — Treatment of them by the Arabs — Improved
Appearance of the Country in approaching Bengazi — Singular Fences of Stone generally
adopted in this part of the Country — Causes of their Erection — Position of Bengazi — Fertile
Appearance of the Countiy about it — Arrival at Bengazi — Friendly Reception of our Party
by Signor Rossoni, the British Resident there— Establish ourselves in the Town for the
rainy Season - - - - - - 209
b 2
Xll
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER X.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE GULF AND SHORES OF THE GREATER SYRTIS.
The Dimensions of the Gulf, according- to Ancient Writers, considered, and compared with those
resulting from the Observations of the Exjjedition — Difference in the Statements of the
several Writers quoted — Reasons why a Difference may be expected in their Accounts —
Observations of Major Rennell on the Measurements of the Ancients — Ptolemy’s Outline of
the Gulf more correct than any hitherto given — Number of Square Miles of Error in modern
Charts of the Greater Syrtis — The Ideas of Ancient Writers (Herodotus e.xcepted) with
respect to the Nature and Resources of the Syrtis (the Territory, not the ofthe Greater
Syrtis is here meant) more erroneous than the Dimensions which have been assigned to the
Gulf itself — The General Character of the Syrtis not that of a Sandy Plain — Incorrectness
of the Arab Accounts of what is termed by them the Desert of Barka — Account of Herodotus
considered — Apparent Accuracy of his Statements — Inferences di'awn from them — Ancient
Accounts of the Gnlf of the Greater Syrtis, dimensions excepted, very correct — .Accumulation
of Soil on the Shores of the Gulf accounted for — Apparent Elevation of the General Level of
the Syrtis — Advance of the Sea on the Northern Coast of Africa — Appearance of the Coast
at Alexandria and Carthage consistent with that of the Shores of the Greater Syrtis and
Cyrenaica — Observations of Major Rennell and Dr. Shaw on the Elevation of the Coast of
Tunis, and the Advance of the Sea in that quarter — Observations of Lucan on the Level of
the Greater Syrtis — Dangers of the Navigation of the Gulf of Syrtis considered — Inset into
the Gulf still existing to a great extent — Flux and Reflux of the Sea mentioned by Strabo
and Mela considered — Remarks on the Derivation of the term Syrtis - - 234
CHAPTER XI.
The Rainy Season sets in at Bengazi towards the middle of January, and continues with little
interruption till the beginning of March — Miserable Condition of the Town during that period
— Construction of the Houses — Improvidence of the Arabs — Dirty state of the Streets —
Swarms of insects which infest them — Position of Bengazi — Description of its Harbour —
flastle of the Bey — Visit to Bey Halil — Friendly Reception of our Party by his Excellency —
Occupations and arrangements during the Rainy Season — The Shekh el Belad Mahommed —
Jews of Bengazi — Trade of the Town — Produce of the Environs — Wretched state of the
Bullock Vessels — Mahometan Inhabitants of Bengazi — Alarm of the Lower Classes during
our residence there — Confusion resulting from it — Mob collected at our door on this occasion
— Narrow Escape of Mr. Giacomo Rossoni — Friendly Conduct of our Mahometan Acquaintance
— Parley with the Arabs — Dispersion of the Mob — Prejudices of the Arabs respecting the
Treatment of Diseases — Fatal Effects of this species of Folly at Bengazi — Prevalent Diseases
CONTENTS.
xiii
in Bengazi and its vicinity — ^Singular cause of Alarm among a Party of Arab Shekhs —
Arab notions of decorum and propriety contrasted with those of European Nations — Bengazi
supposed to occupy the Site of Berenice and Hesperis — Existing Remains there — Little
regard manifested by Turks and Arabs for the relics of Antiquity — Probable Limits of
Berenice — Quarries, and singular Chasms in its Neighbourhood — Gardens of Hesperides —
Position of the Gardens according to Scylax, Pliny, and Ptolemy — Conjectures of Gosselin
and others respecting them — Circumstances which appear to favour our position of the
Gardens — Lakes and Subterranean Caverns in the Neighbourhood of Bengazi, (or Berenice)
— Concealed Body of Water observed in one of the latter — Examination of the Caverns —
Remarks of the Bey respecting it — The Subterranean Stream in question considered as the
River Lathon, or Lethe — Testimonies of the Ancients on this point — Supposed Communica-
tion of the Subterranean Stream with the Lake adjoining the Harbour of Bengazi — Signifi-
cation of the term Lathon alluded to — Further Remarks in confirmation of our suggested
Position of the River, and of its probable Communication with the Lake above mentioned —
Remarks of Strabo and Cellarius ou the subject — Temple of Venus, and Lake Tritonis of
Strabo — Remarks on the name Berenice — Total ignorance of the Arabs of Bengazi witli
respect to the former celebrity of their City — Pleasing little Fable of Kazwini, on the
changes which take place in the Nature and Appearance of Places, and the little knowledge
which remains, after a lapse of time, of their former Condition, even on the spots where they
existed - - - - _ . . -oei
CHAPTER XII.
Remarks on the Soil of Bengazi and the Country in its Neighbourhood — Distinction of Sex
in the Palm-tree, &c., noticed by the Ancients and by Mahometan Writers — Persian Anec-
dote of a Love-sick Date-tree — Remarks of Shaw on the Propagation and Treatment of the
Palm— Arab Mode of cultivating the Sandy Tracts in the Neighbourhood of Bengazi—
Journey to Carcora — Completion of the Coast-line from that Place to Bengazi — Return to
Bengazi, and Departure for Teuchira and Ptolemeta — Description of the Country between
Bengazi and these Places — Remains observable in this Track — Correspondence of the ToAver
called Gusser el Towel with that of Cafez, mentioned by Edrisi —Probable Site of Adriane
— Arrival at Birsis — Remains in its neighbourhood, at Mably (or Mabny), considered as
those of Neapolis— Hospitality of the Arabs of Birsis — Remains of Teuchira— Position of
the City— Quarries without the Walls covered Avith Greek Inscriptions— Teuchira a ToAvn
of Barca— Walls of the City repaired by Justinian — No Port observable at Teuchira— Mis-
take of Bruce in confounding Teuchira Avith Ptolemeta— Good Supply of fresh Water at
Teuchira The excavated Tombs of the ancient City used as DAvelliug-houses by the
Arabs of the Neighbourhood — Indisposition of our Chaous (or Janissary) — Route from Teu-
chira to Ptolemeta Remains at Ptolemeta Port and Cothon of the ancient City — Ocher
Remains observable there — Ptolemaic Inscriptions — Picturesque Ravines in the Neighbour-
XIV
CONTENTS.
hood of Ptolemeta— Position of the City — Remains of Bridges observed there — Advantages
of its Site — Extreme Drought at Ptolemeta, recorded by Procopius — Reparation of the Aque-
ducts and Cisterns by the Emperor Justinian — Existing Remains of an extensive Cistern at
Ptolemeta, probably among those alluded to by Procopius — State of the Town, its Solitude
and Desolation— Luxuriant Vegetation which encumbered its Streets when the Place was
first visited by our Party — Change of Scene on returning to it in Summer-time - 339
CHAPTER Xiri.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE CITIES OF TEUCHIRA AND PTOLEMETA.
Actual Condition of the City of Teuchira— Perfect State and great Strength of its Walls—
Suggested Period of their Erection — Mode in which they are constructed — Gates of the City
— Narrow Passage communicating with them — Probable Advance of the Sea at Teuchira —
Line described by the Walls — Estimated Circuit of them according to Signor Della Celia
— Greek Inscriptions cut in various parts of them — Suggestions of Signor Della Celia
respecting them — Actual Nature of the Inscriptions — Excavated Tombs in the Quarries of
Teuchira — Egyptian Names of Months generally adopted by the Inhabitants of the City —
General Nature of the Plans of the Tombs — Some of the Bodies appear to have been burnt,
and others to have been buried entire — No Difference appears to have obtained at Teuchira
between the Modes of Burial adopted by its Greek and Roman Inhabitants — Encumbered
State of what are probably the earliest Tombs— Solitary instance of a Painted Tomb at
Teuchira— Remains of Christian Churches, and other Buildings within the Walls — Disposi-
tion of the Streets — Remains without the Walls — No Statues, or Remains of them, discovered
by our Party at Teuchira — Remarks on the Wall of Ptolemeta — Remains of a Naustothmos,
or Naval Station, observed there — Other Remains of Building on the Beach near the Station
— Further traces of the City- Wall — Dimensions of Ptolemeta — Remains of Theatres found
there — Description of the larger one — Ruins described by Bruce as part of an Ionic Temple
— Other Remains in the Neighbourhood of these — Remarks on the Style of some of the
Buildings of Ptolemeta, as contrasted with those of Egypt and Nubia — Probable Date of its
existing Remains - - . - . . - . 3(57
CHAPTER XIV.
JOURNEY FROM PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
Departure from Ptolemeta — Romantic and Picturesque Appearance of the Road — Luxuriant
Vegetation which adorned it — Arrive at the Summit of the first Range — Bedouin Tents
on the Plain above — Pleasing Manners of their Inhabitants— Character of the Scenery
CONTENTS.
XV
on the Summit of the Lower Range — Beauty of the Route continues — Arrive at the
Plain of Merge — Character and Position of the Plain — Our Camel-Drivers refuse to pro-
ceed— Artful Conduct of Abou-Bukra — Appeal to Bey Halil — Projected Mission to Derna
— Abou-Bukra comes to Terms, and brings his Camels for the Journey — Pools of Fresh
Water collected in the Plain of Merge — Use made of them by the Arabs — Prevalence
of a Virulent Cutaneous Disease among the Arab Tribes of Merge and its Neighbourhood
— Remains of a Town at one extremity of the Plain — Remarks on the District and City
of Barca — Testimonies of Strabo, Pliny, Ptolemy, and Scylax, respecting the Port of
Barca — Remarks on the Position of the City of that Name — Arab Accounts of Barca —
Edrisi, Abulfeda, &c, — Unsatisfactory Nature of the Accounts in Question — Mode of recon-
ciling the Arab Accounts of Barca with those of Scylax — Suggested Position of the Ancient
City — Peculiarity of Soil attributed to Barca — Observations on its Produce and Resources —
State of Barca under the Arabs — Decay of the Ancient City after the building of Ptolemais
on the Site of its Port — ^The Barcaeans remarkable for their Skill in the Management of
Horses and Chariots — Their Country formerly celebrated for its excellent Breed of Horses —
Degeneracy of the present Breed — Account of Barca by Herodotus — Other Accounts of its
Origin — Siege and Plunder of the City by the Persians under Amasis — Subsequent state of
the City till the building of Ptolemais - - - - 386
CHAPTER XV.
JOURNEY FROM MERGE TO CYRENE.
Departure from Merge — Deep Marks of Chariot-wheels on the Stony Road indicative of an
ancient Track — Valley of Bograta— Ancient Wells observed there — Valley of Hareebe —
Beauty and Luxuriance of the Country continue — Roses of the Cyrenaica mentioned by
Athenaeus as celebrated for the excellence of their Perfume — Oil (or Ointment) of Roses
made at Cyrene in the time of Berenice (probably the Daughter of Magas) — Difficulty and
Danger of some Parts of the Road — Apprehensions of our Arab Conductors — They appear to
have been groundless — Arrive at Margkd — Bad State of the Road continues — Quarrel
between Abou-Bukra and one of our Servants — Consequences of the Quarrel — Departure of
Abou-Bukra — Continue our Route alone and succeed in finding the right Track — Return of
Abou-Bukra and his people — Satisfactory Termination of the Disturbance — Oppressive
Sirocco Wind — Nature of the Country on approaching Cyrene — First Appearance of a Plant
resembling the Daucus, or Wild Carrot — Resemblance of this Plant to the Silphium, as
expressed on ancient Coins — Points in which it differs from it — Remarks on the Silphium as
mentioned by ancient Writers — Testimony of Herodotus, Arrian, Theophrastus, Pliny, Athe-
nseus— Bill of Fare of the Kings of Persia, stated by Poly genus to have been discovered in the
royal Palace by Alexander the Great — Silphium mentioned in this among other articles of
hood — Description of the Plant by Theophrastus and Pliny — Celebrity and Scarcity of the
XVI
CONTENTS.
SilpHura and of the Extract from it — Extraordinary Cause of the first Appearance of the Sil-
phium in the Cyrenaica, as mentioned hy Pliny on the authority of Greek Writers — Effects
produced by the Plant on the Sheep and Cattle who were allowed to eat it — Similar Effects
produced hy the Plant observed by the Expedition on Camels — Extraordinary Medicinal
Qualities imputed to the Silphium by Pliny — The use of it recommended by the Roman
Naturalist as a sovereign remedy for almost everything but the Tooth-ache — Fatal Conse-
quences recorded by Pliny, of applying it in the Case last mentioned — Silphium offered by
the People of Cyrene to their first King Battus, as the most valuable Production of their
Country — State in which the Plant observed by the Expedition most resembles the Silphium
on the Coins of Cyrene — Partition of the Road from Merge to Cyrene — Extensive Traces of
Building observed along the ancient, or lower Road — Approach to Cyrene indicated by innu-
merable Sarcophagi and Tombs — Position of these along the sides of the Roads, as observable
at Pompeii and other ancient Towns — Frequent Traces of Chariot-wheels still observable
along the Roads, deeply indented in the rocky Soil of the Place — The earlier Tombs distin-
guished by their simplicity and good taste — The later by a more ornamented and less perfect
style — Busts and Statues scattered everywhere about among the Tombs — Difference of Style
and Character observable in these — Remains of an Aqueduct — Fountain of Cyrene - 405
CHAPTER XVI.
Description of the Fountain — Excavations which enclose it — Sculptured Tablet discovered
at the entrance of one of the Chambers — Early Character of its Style — Beautiful Bas-
Relief in white Marble discovered near the Fountain — Indications of Porticoes in front of
the excavated Chambers — Greek Inscription cut over one of them — Remains in front of the
Fountain — Aqueduct above it — Peripteral Temple, probably of Diana — Female Statue dis-
covered there — Position of Cyrene — Delightful View from the Town — Excavated Galleries
and Tombs — Nature and Style of the Tombs — Variet}' displayed in the disposition of their
Interiors — Remains of Painting discovered in them — Suite of what appear to be Allegorical
Compositions, painted on the Metopes of one of the Doric Tombs — Practice, at Cyrene, of
painting the several Members of Architecture — Remarks connected with this Practice 424
CHAPTER XVII.
Arrival of Captain Smyth at Derna — Our Party set out from Cyrene to meet him — Remains of
Ancient Forts, and Sarcophagi observed on the Journey — Marks of Chariot-wheels in the
Stony Track indicative of an ancient Road — Barren Appearance of the Mountains which rise at
the back of Derna — Perilous Descent from their Summit to the Plain below — Exhausted condi-
tion of our Horses in accomplishing it — Arrive at Derna, where we found the Adventure, and
wait upon Captain Smyth — Description of the town of Derna — Ravages occasioned by the
Plague there — Prompt Measures of Mahommed Bey in subduing it — Some Account of
CONTENTS.
xvii
Mahommed Bey — Civility and attention received by our Party from Signor Regignani the
British Agent at Derna — Tahe leave of Mr. Tindall, who sails on board the Adventure —
Departure from Derna on our road to Apollonia — Gradual increase of Vegetation observed
on the Route — Thickly-wooded Ravines and dangerous Passes on this Road — Beautiful Stream
at Elthroon — Arrive at El Hilal — Capacious Harbour at that place — Ancient Remains
observed there — Arab Encampment at El Hilal — Dishonest Conduct ofour Chaous — Arrive at
Apollonia — No Water to be found there — Begin to dig a Well in order to procure some, our
stock being wholly exhausted — Bad Success of this attempt — Continue our Journey to Cyrene
— Miss the Path over the Mountain, and lose our way among the Thickets and Underwood —
Inconvenience of this mistake to all Parties — Find the right track, and at length reach the
Fountain of Apollo — Rencontre of our Servants with some female Inhabitants of the Moun-
tain— Singular position of the Caves which they lived in — Gain intelligence at Cyrene of a
Spring in the neighbourhood of Apollonia — Set out again for that place — Description of the
Road — Architectural Remains, and beautiful appearance of the Country through which it
passes — Meet with an Hyaena in the dusk of the evening — The forest much infested by these
animals and Jackalls — Peculiarities of both — Arrive at Apollonia, and find the Springs
described to us — Other Caves in the Mountain — Unwillingness of their Inhabitants to admit
us — Description of the City of Apollonia . - - - 467
CHAPTER XVIII.
Observations on the Position of Ras Sem — Remarks of Bruce connected with this place — Diffi-
culty of reconciling the several positions assigned to it — Extravagant Stories related of its
Petrifactions, supposed to be those of Human Beings — Fallacy of these Statements as
recorded by Shaw — Report of Petrified Remains at Ghirza made to Captain Smyth by Mukni
(Bey, or Sultan, of Fezzan) during the progress of his Excavations at Lebda — Journey of
Captain Smyth in search of the objects described to him — Description of the actual Remains
at Ghirza — Monumental Obelisk discovered there, and Tombs, combining a mixture of the
Egyptian and Grecian styles of Architecture — Indifferent Taste and Execution of these
Remains— Veneration in which they are held by Mahometans of all classes, who suppose them
to be Petrified Human Beings of their own persuasion — Geographic Position of Ghirza
determined by Captain Smyth — Further Observations on the Remains at Apollonia — Return
of our party to Cyrene — Account of that City continued - - - 501
CHAPTER XIX.
Historical Sketch of Cyrene— Its Foundation by a Lacedaemonian Colony — Dynasty of the
Battiades, or Family of Battus— Cession of the Country to Ptolemy Lagus — And afterwards
to the Romans by Apion, the last of the Ptolemies who possessed it — Cyrene becomes a
Roman Province, and is united in one Government with Crete — Illustrious Persons who were
natives of Cyrene — Tenets of the Sect of Philosophers termed Cyrenaic — Decay of the Clty^
and its final Desertion in Christian times after the Transfer of the Bishopric to Ptolemeta —
Return of the Expedition to Bengazi, and its subsequent Departure for Malta - 538
LIST OF PLATES.
Chapter
1. Solitary Palm-Tree at Arar, remarkable as being the only Tree in the Greater Syrtis VI.
2. Formidable Appearance of the Coast at ZafFran ... ib.
3. Remains of an Ancient Bridge at Ptolemeta . . XII.
4. Remains of an Ancient Mausoleum at Ptolemeta . . . ib.
5. Remains of an Ionic Building at Ptolemeta (Vignette) . . . ib.
6. Remains of an early Christian Church at Ptolemeta . . . ib.
7. Singular Position of Two Inhabited Caves in the Neighbourhood of Apollonia . XVII.
8. Position of the Amphitheatre, the Fountain of Apollo, and some other Remains at
Cyrene ...... XVI.
9. Elevation of the Internal Facade of an Excavated Tomb at Cyrene . . ib.
10. Suite of Allegorical Figures painted on the Metopes of One of the Excavated
Tombs at Cyrene ...... ib.
11. Partial View of the Tombs on the Heights of Cyrene . . ib.
12. Architectural Front of One of the Doric excavated Tombs at Cyrene . XVIII.
13. Entrance to the Fountain of Apollo at Cyrene (Vignette) . . . XVI.
LIST OF CHARTS AND PLANS.
General Chart of the Route . . . . . .1.
Chart, showing the Difference between the Coast Line of former Charts, and that ob-
tained by the Expedition . . . . .X.
Plan of the Port and Neighbourhood of Bengazi . . . XI.
Plan of the City of Teuchira ...... XII.
Plan of the City of Ptolemeta . .... ib.
Plan of the City and Environs of Cyrene ..... XV.
Plan of the City, on a larger Scale ..... ib.
Plan of the Town of Derna and of the Port of ZafFran . . . XVII.
Plan of the Port and City of Apollonia .... ib.
INTEODUCTION.
In offering to the Public an account of the mission, the proceedings
of which will form the subject of the present Narrative, it may be
proper to state briefly the circumstances which gave rise to it, and
the objects to which its inquiries were chiefly directed.
When Captain Smyth visited the Northern Coast of Africa, in the
year 1817, he had many opportunities (during the course of his
Survey) of obtaining information connected with the state of the
country and the points most deserving of notice which it presented.
The exertions of this active and intelligent officer procured at
Lebida the matter for the only plan which we have of that city and
its antiquities, while his journey to Ghirza made us acquainted with
the actual nature of those remains, so important in Arab estimation,
the account of which is given at the latter part of our narrative *.
Captain Smyth had proposed to extend his journey eastward ; for
the friendly disposition of the Bashaw of Tripoly had been diligently
cultivated by himself and Colonel Warrington, His Majesty’s Con-
sul-general at the Kegency, and the whole tract of country between
Tripoly and Derna was open to the researches of the English. Cir-
cumstances, however, prevented him from doing so, and on returning
* The plan here alluded to of the City of Lebida was obligingly placed at our disposal
by the author, and we wished to have had it engraved for the work ; but, in consequence
of being obliged to limit our number of plates to much fewer than we had originally
anticipated, this plan, with some others of our own, have been omitted.
XX
INTRODUCTION.
to England he submitted the information which he had been able to
collect to the Admiralty, and suggested that a party might be
advantageously employed in exploring the Greater Syrtis and Cyre-
naica, as well as the country to the eastward of Derna as far as
Alexandria and the Oasis of Ammon.
Many spots of more than ordinary interest were comprehended
within the limits of the S}Ttis and Cyrenaica : some of these had been
the favourite themes of mythology, haunts in which the poets of
Greece and Rome had loved to linger ; and others had been cele-
brated in the more sober language of historians whose fame is less
perishable than the objects which they describe. But whatever
might once have been the state of a country placed before us so con-
spicuously in pages which are dear to us, there had not in our own
times been any opportunity of ascertaining its actual condition. The
name of Gyrene was familiar to classic ears, but no one had visited
its remains ; the “ secret springs” of Lethe and the Gardens of the
Hesperides had almost been confounded with the fables of antiquity ;
and the deep and burning sands, overspread with venomous serpents,
which were supposed to form the barrier between Leptis Magna and
Berenice, had rarely been trodden since the army of Cato had
]iearly found a grave beneath their weight *.
The outline of this extensive Gulf (the Greater Syrtis), the coast
of which was as formidable to the vessels of the ancients as its sands
were supposed to have been to their armies, had never been accu-
rately laid down in modern charts, and the contradictory statements
of its form and peculiarities appeared to call for minute investigation.
'Fhere were many geographical points to be determined in the space
* The poetical account of this tract of country by Lucan Is well known to the readers
of ancient literature, and we shall have occasion hereafter to advert to it in speaking of
the actual appearance of the Syrtis.
INTRODUCTION.
between Tripoly and Bengazi, and remains of several ancient towns
(besides Cyrene) w'ere known to exist in the Pentapolis, of which no
plans had hitherto been made. Under all these circumstances it
appeared to Captain Smyth that, as he was himself about to sail in
the Adventure to finish his survey of the northern coast of Africa, it
might so be arranged that a party on shore should proceed simulta-
neously along the tract of country mentioned, communicating from
time to time with his vessel as occasions might offer in the course of
their route. The views of His Majesty’s Government were at this
period favorable to the cause of research ; and the labours of many
skilful and enterprising men had been, since the peace, advantage-
ously directed to various points of interest, from the sultry plains of
Fezzan to the borders of the Frozen Ocean. It was therefore not long
after the plan in question had been submitted to the Admiralty and
the Colonial Department, that it was acceded to by Earl Bathurst and
Lord Melville ; and the means of carrying it into effect were referred
to the consideration of one of the heads of the Admiralty, whose
well-directed ability had often been manifested in the promotion
and arrangement of similar undertakings, and whose exertions in
the cause of science and discovery are well known and highly
appreciated *.
* A little before this period, an expedition undertaken by the Bashaw of Tripoly
against his eldest son Mahommed, now Bey of Derna, afforded to Signor Della Celia,
an Italian gentleman residing in Tripoly, the opportunity of visiting the Syrtis and
Cyrenaica in the capacity of physician to the Bashaw’s second son, who at that time com-
manded the expedition against his brother.
The account of this journey was published at Genoa soon after the return of Dr.
Della Celia ; and the Interest which uncertainty had given to the country through which
he passed was increased by his animated description of its remains. But the opportu-
nities which were afforded to the Doctor were not sufficient for the accomplishment of
his object ; and although his pen described the extensive ruins which he witnessed, the
reader had to regret that the shortness of his stay prevented him from examining them
with attention.
xxn
INTRODUCTION.
Accordingly, when the necessary dispositions had been made, Lieu-
tenant Beechey was appointed on the part of the Admiralty to under-
take the coast line from Tripoly to Derna, — if practicable, as far as
Alexandria ; and Mr. Tyndall, a young gentleman on board the
Adventure, was directed to assist him in the survey. Earl Bathurst
appointed Mr. Beechey to examine and report on the antiquities of the
country, and Mr. Campbell of the Navy was soon after nominated to
accompany the expedition as surgeon. The party w^as embarked
on board His Majesty’s Ship Adventure, and sailed from England
early in J uly with Captain Smyth, proceeding directly to Malta :
there they were joined by Lieutenant Coffin of the Navy, who had
come out in the Adventure, and who handsomely volunteered his
services on shore, which were accepted without hesitation. A short
time was sufficient to complete the few remaining preparations, and
the expedition left Malta for Tripoly.
We have already said that it had been in contemplation to extend
our journey farther to the eastward, and to examine the country
between that place and Alexandria, in which it seemed probable that
interesting remains might be found. We had in that event pro-
posed to return by Siwah, and along the track of Horneman to
Augila ; from which place we should have re-entered the Greater
Syrtis, and explored some of the more inland parts of it in the course
of our journey back to Tripoly. Circumstances, however, which it
will not here be necessary to explain, prevented our going farther
eastward than Derna, and limited the period of our stay in the Pen-
tapolis to a much shorter period than we had originally calculated
upon. Our work has in consequence assumed the form of a Journal,
and has become more contracted on points of unquestionable interest,
and more diffuse in matters which would otherwise have been
omitted, than it would have been in the character which we wished
it to have taken. We do not, however, mean to apologize for having
INTRODUCTION.
xxiii
done less than we might have done under the circumstances in
which we were placed ; or to underrate the value of the matter which
we have been able to lay before the Public : the materials which we
had to work upon are in themselves sufficiently interesting to call
for the attention of those who read for information, and the labour
which has been employed in collecting them (during the whole course
of a long and fatiguing journey) has not been thrown away upon
trifles.
We have given to the world (we may say with the greatest accu-
racy) an extensive tract of coast which has been hitherto unsur-
veyed, and of which our best charts afforded a very imperfect out-
line, as will appear by a reference to the maps at the head of the
work.
We have obtained the plans of towns and places, (rendered inter-
esting by antiquity, and by the rank which they hold in the pages of
history,) of which we have hitherto had no details ; and have
described, or made drawings of every object of note which has
presented itself on the field of our operations. In fact, whatever
may be the merit of our work in other respects, or the value attached
to our exertions, we are satisfied ourselves with the matter acquired
and with the labour and diligence which has been employed in collect-
ing it ; and it is because our materials are worthy of more attention
than we had time and opportunities to bestow upon them, that we
regret we are not able to offer them to the Public in a more complete
form than we have been able to give them. Had it been in our
power to employ excavation, on a more extensive scale than we did,
and to bestow as much time upon every object worth attention as its
importance appeared to demand, our work could have been a more
perfect one ; that is to say, it would have treated of art, and its
details more exclusively (we mean the details of sculpture, architec-
ture, and painting,) than it does in the shape which it at present
XXIV
INTRODUCTION.
assumes. We might also have given additional interest to our
narrative by introducing more plates than we have been able to
insert ; but our number has been (we believe necessarily) limited,
and we may add that the selection of those which appear might
have been better if we had known, before the drawings went to the
engraver, that we should have been obhged to leave out so many of
them.
Something should be said to account for the delay which has taken
place in publication since the work was first announced. We
may state that, so far as we are ourselves concerned, more tlsan
three parts of the MS. was finished at least two years ago ; and that
the remainder was only kept back because it could not be completed
till the first portion was printed.
Wc subjoin the errata which wo have been able to detect in a hasty perusal of the Narrative after
the whole was printed off. There may possibly, however, be other.s whicli have escaped us. The few
errors which occur in some of the passages quoted from foreign languages, we have not thought it
necessary to include in this list, since the proper readings will be obvious to all who understand them, and
it w’ill be unnecessary to point them out to those who do not.
Page
52, /or who has obligingly, read n??r/who has, &c. (Note.)
65, for this range, read the range.
292, for ti Stan bono, read ti sta bono.
293, for a te. read ete.
397, for its site should be fixed, read looked for.
397, for o/the accounts of the city of Barca, read if the accounts, &c.
471, /or at the roadstead, roat/ m the roadstead.
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NARRATIVE.
CHAPTER I.
Arrival of the Expedition at Tripoly ; pleasing appearance of the Town from the Sea — Friendly
Reception of the Party by the Consul — Interview with the Bashaw, who promises his pro-
tection and assistance — Appointment of the Escort — ’Visits to some of the Mahometan
Residents in Tripoly — Sidi Mahommed d’Ghies — Preparations for the journey — ^Adoption
of the Costume of the Country — This precaution recommended on the experience of the
party — Visit from the Arab Escort — Description of their principal, Shekh Mahommed
el Ddbbah— Sketch of the Shekh’s former Life— Friendly attentions of the European
Residents of Tripoly — Arrival of Dr. Oudney and Lieutenant Clapperton.
In the beginning of September the Adventure sailed from Malta,
and in a few days we made the African shore, at about the situation
assigned to Tripoli Vecchio. llunning down to the eastward, we
soon discovered the place of our destination, and on the morning of
the 1 1th, cast anchor in the harbour of Tripoly. The town makes a
respectable appearance from the sea ; it is surrounded by a high
wall, strengthened with bastions, above which are distinguished the
mosques and the baths, whose white minaret s and cupolas form no
unpleasing contrast with the dark tints presented by thick groves of
palm-trees, rising in varied groups, from the gardens at the back of
the town. The different coloured flags which were hoisted to salute
us on the castle of the Bashaw, and the houses of the several
consuls, floated gaily in the clear atmosphere and bright sunshine
B
2
JOURNEY FROM
of a Mediterranean climate ; and the whole together, viewed
under favourable impressions, gave to Tripoly an appearance of
much more interest and importance than it was afterwards found
to have deserved.
The reception which we experienced from Mr. Warrington, the
British Consul-General at Tripoly, was friendly and attentive in the
extreme ; and, on our landing, the consulate was assigned to us as a
residence, which he obligingly left at our disposal. The arrival of
our party was now signified officially to the Bashaw, who appointed
a day to receive us ; being at the time indisposed, on account of the
operation of burning, which he had undergone as a cure for the
rheumatism His Highness was provided with a skilful European
physician, who had been for some time attached to his person and
to the court ; but the prejudices of his country were too strong to
be overcome by reason, and the remedies of Dr. Dicheson gave way
to the popular superstition.
On the day appointed for the interview, we proceeded to the
palace of His Highness, accompanied by the Consul and Captain
Smyth. The streets through which we had to pass, on our way to
* The practice of cautei-y is well known to be generally adopted, and confidently
depended upon, by the Arabs and Moors, as an effectual remedy for almost every dis-
order. The custom may be traced to a very remote period, and is alluded to by
Herodotus, (Melpomene, 187,) as peculiar to the Libyan Nomades, the early inhabitants
of a considerable part of the coast of Northern Africa. The remedy is indeed too
indiscriminately applied, but is not, however, unfrequently productive of good effects.
We were assured by a man at Bengazi, that he had been cured three times of the plague
by the mere application of a hot iron to the tumours which attend the disease ; and if
we might judge from the dreadful scars which remained, his attacks were by no means
slight ones.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
3
the Castle, were by no means fit approaches to a regal abode ; they
were encumbered with the rubbish of houses fallen into ruin, and
with the superfluous produce of those which were yet standing ;
while swarms of little naked and dirty children, and numerous
groups of hungry, half-starved dogs, almost blocked up the little
space which was left for our passage. The dust which was una-
voidably raised in our progress, together with the heat of the sun,
and the myriads of gnats and flies which assailed us in every direc-
tion, were no grateful additions to these inconveniences ; and we
were heartily glad to find ourselves before the gates of the Castle,
where a part of the Bashaw’s guard was drawm out in due form to
receive us. After paying our respects to the Kechia *, (who was
seated at the end of the skeefa, or entrance hall,) we were ushered
along a dark and narrow passage, so irregular and uneven under
foot, that we were in danger of falling at almost every stepf, and
having passed at intervals several Tchaouses and soldiers, who
were barely discernible through the gloom, we found ourselves at
length in a spacious apartment, where a motley crowd of Christians,
Turks, Arabs, and Jews, were assembled to wait His Highness’s
leisure.
We had not been long here before it was announced to us that the
Bashaw was prepared to receive us ; and, on approaching the pre-
* This officer holds the second place in the Regency, and is invested with the
supreme power whenever His Highness is absent.
t Tully observes, “We entered these gloomy passages, which always seem as if they
led to some dreadful abode for the purpose of entombing the living.”
B2
4
JOURNEY FROM
sence, we found His Highness seated, with all due solemnity, at the
farther end of the apartment, attended by his third son. Sidy Ali, by
Keis Morat*, who acted as interpreter, and by other principal
officers of the Court. A formidable line of well-armed black soldiers
were ranged along the walls of the room, who stood exactly like so
many statues, each with a loaded blunderbuss, held with the muzzle
pointed downwards ; and close to the Bashaw’s person was a trusty
black slave, who held in readiness His Highness’s pistols. The in-
troduction of armed soldiers into the presence-chamber of a Sove-
reign was rather a novel sight to Europeans, and may be taken as an
example of the extremely barbarous state in which the Kegency of
Tripoly, wdth all its recent improvements, must still be admitted to
remain.
The High Admiral, Keis Morat, in the name of our party, made
known to the Bashaw the friendly disposition of the King of England
towards His Highness ; in testimony of which he was requested to ac-
cept the present of four brass field-pieces, with their accoutrements,
which we had brought with us on board the Adventure ; and he was
then requested to extend his protection to our party in their passage
through his extensive dominions. Every assistance was freely offered
on the part of the Bashaw, who expressed himself, in return, highly
satisfied with the friendly assurances of His Majesty ; and the neces-
* Reis MorM, we believe, is a Scotchman, and was formeidy mate of a merchant vessel;
but having embraced the Mahometan faith, and entered the service of the Bashaw, has
now, through his naval skill and abilities, arrived at the head of his profession, and is
much considered by His Highness.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
5
sary preliminaries being satisfactorily arranged, tea * and lemonade
were served with all due decorum, and our party took leave of His
flighness. The guns were brought up the same afternoon, close
under the balcony of the palace, and the Bashaw appeared at the
window to inspect them, with some of the officers of his court ; vari-
ous manoeuvres were gone through to the admiration and astonish-
ment of the spectators, under the direction of the gunner of the
Adventure, and the cannoniers acquitted themselves so highly to
the satisfaction of His Highness, that he sent a sword to the gunner,
in token of his approbation, and a bag of dollars to be divided among
the crew.
In our interview with the Bashaw it had been finally arranged
that our party should be escorted as far as Bengazi, by an Arab Shekh
who presided over the district of Syrt, and was called Shekh Mahom-
med el Hubbah ; at Bengazi we were to be consigned to Hadood,
Shekh of Barka, who was to conduct us as far as Bomba, beyond
which his authority ceased. As Bomba, or its immediate vicinity,
may be considered as the eastern limit of the Eegency, we were
informed that, in our progress from that place to Alexandria, we
must depend upon the protection of the Bashaw of Egypt. We had
foreseen this circumstance before our arrival in Tripoly, and a letter
had been written from Malta to Mr. Salt, His Majesty’s Consul-
General in Egypt, requesting him, in the name of the British Govern-
ment, to make the necessary arrangements with His Highness the
* Tea is very generally used by the higher classes throughout the Regency of Ti’ipoly,
and coffee but rarely.
6
JOURNEY FROM
\^iceroy for our passing from Derna to Alexandria; and we afterwards
received a firman from Mahommed Ali, which he considered would
be sufficient to ensure our advance.
These preliminaries settled we began to make preparations for our
journey, and consulted with the most intelligent natives in Tripoly
on the best means of forwarding the objects of the Expedition.
AV^e found them on all occasions particularly obliging, and
always ready to afford us every information in their power. From
Sidi Mahommed D’Ghies, in particular, the same well-informed
native who had been of great service to Mr. Kitchie and Captain
Lyon, as well as from his son *, a most excellent young man, we
received at various times much useful advice, and always the most
friendly and cordial reception.
At the house of Sidi Mahommed, we were one day introduced to
one of the most respectable Mahometan traders to Timbuctoo ; who
* This young man, who is the second son of Sidi Mahommed d’Ghies, and is also
named Mahommed, is an admirable example of true devotion to the religion of his
country, united with the more extended and liberal feelings of Europeans. He daily
visits the public school where young boys are taught to read the Koran ; and superin-
tends the charitable distribution of food which the bounty of Sidi Mahommed provides
for the poor who daily present themselves at his gate. Besides his acquaintance with
the English and French languages, he is able to converse with the slaves of the family
in several languages of the interior of Africa ; and when it is considered that Mahome-
tans in general seldom trouble themselves to speak any language but their own, this
proficiency is greatly to his credit ; we should rather, perhaps, say, to the credit of his
father, under whose eye he has been hitherto brought up, and who is himself well
acquainted with the French, and we believe with several other languages. The elder .son
of Sidi Mohammed was in England while we were at Tripoly, and must be remembered
by many of the first circles in London.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
7
offered to ensure our arrival at that place, and our return in perfect
safety to Tripoly, provided we would place ourselves entirely under
his directions ; allowing, of course, for ill health, as well as for such
accidents as could not be foreseen, and may happen to any one in
travelling across the desert. As Timbuctoo, however, formed no
part of the object of our mission, this offer was naturally declined ;
and we merely mention it here as one which may be worth consi-
deration, should any future traveller decide upon attempting this
journey by way of Tripoly.
Our next care was to provide ourselves with the dress of the
country, which was strongly recommended to us by our Mahometan
friends, and which, indeed, on the former experience of one of our
party, we had before proposed to adopt. The opinion of Colonel
Warrington was in favour of the European costume ; but as we sup-
posed it to have been founded on the experience of journeys in the
neighbourhood of Tripoly only, within the immediate range of the
Bashaw’s authority, and in places where the natives are more accus-
tomed to the dress ; we thought it most advisable to adopt the advice
of our Turkish friends, which we knew to be formed on an extensive
acquaintance with the prejudices, manners, and customs of the Arabs:
this opinion, besides, had the additional recommendation of being
quite in unison with our own ; and it is probably not unknown to
some of our readers that a similar coincidence has usually its
weight in decisions of much more importance. The experience of
our journey through the Syrtis and Cyrenaica confirmed us still more
decidedly in our former opinion ; and as the propriety of adopting
8
JOURNEY FROM
the Turkish costume has occasionally been questioned and denied,
we will venture to add our testimony in its favour to that of all the
most experienced travellers in Mahometan countries with whom we
have ever been acquainted : so far, at least, as the adoption of it is in
question, in places where the principal persons in power, and the
bulk of the population are Mussulmen. If it were only on the score
of convenience, we should in most cases recommend it ; and it is cer-
tainly the best calculated to prevent interruption, and all the nume-
rous annoyances arising from idle curiosity and the prejudices of an
ignorant people.
On our return, one morning, from a visit to the Bazar, where we
had been making some purchases necessary for our journey, we found
our apartment occupied by the Bedouin Arabs who had been ap-
pointed by the Bashaw to attend us to Bengazi. They had been
ranged by our servant on chairs round the room, on which they did
not appear to sit much at their ease ; and some of them had relin-
quished their exalted situation for the more convenient level which
the chairs themselves occupied, that safe and comfortable position,
the ground : here they squatted themselves down with true Arab
dignity, and soon found themselves much more at home. There was
little in the dress of these sw^arthy personages by which one might
be distinguished from the rest. An ample baracan, fastened in the
usual Arab manner, partially displayed the large, loose sleeves of a
cotton shirt, more remarkable than usual for its w^hiteness ; a piece
of distinction which is, by Arabs, considered necessary only in
towais, and on visits of more than ordinary ceremony : from a lea-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
9
them belt was suspended a case of the same material, containing a
brace of long pistols, near which hung a leathern pouch for powder
and ball, and a smaller one which served as a pocket or purse. A
red, or white cap, (for some had one, some the other,) and sandals of
camel’s hide, fastened with thongs of leather, completed the whole
costume. One only wore a turban ; and, on closer investigation, the
pistol-cases and pistols of the person so distinguished appeared to be
in better order than those of his companions. But no difference of
attire was necessary to mark out Shekh Mahommed el Dubbah from
those who accompanied him. A venerable length of beard, in which
white was partially blended with gray, gave an air of patriarchal
respectability to his appearance; and a singular mixture of energy and *
complacency displayed the wild and daring spirit which animated
him half subdued by the composure of age, and the decorum which
it was necessary to observe on the occasion : a well-acted smile was
playing on his lips, with which his voice and his manner, when he
addressed us, corresponded ; but his large full eye, though its lustre
was dimmed by age, was never for a moment at rest ; and wandered
unceasingly from object to object, with a wildness and rapidity very
different from the vacant stare of curiosity so conspicuous in the
faces of most of his party.
Shekh Mahommed was at this time nearly sixty years of age, and
had early been very formidable as a robber in the district of Syrt.
The circumstance of his being the head of a Marabut tribe, joined
to the natural intrepidity of his character, had given him great
influence over the Arabs of his neighbourhood ; and the daring
c
10
JOURNEY FROM
character of his exploits soon obtained for him the appellation of
El Dubbah, or the Plysena.
At a more advanced period, when the rigorous measures of the
Bashaw seemed likely to reduce the Arab tribes to subjection, Ma-
hommed, finding it probably more to his interest, went over to His
Highness’s party ; and from his knowledge of the country, and the
interest which he possessed, was enabled to render him very essen-
tial service : he was in consequence established as Shekh of Syrt, a
district of more than two hundred miles in extent. We were glad
to find that Shekh Mahommed was as eager as ourselves for an early
departure from Tripoly ; he soon began to enumerate all the various
disadvantages which were to be expected from travelling in the
rainy season over the low and swampy regions of the Syrtis ; and
drew such pictures of them as would have determined us to set
out immediately had our movements depended upon ourselves.
But the delays of the tradesmen, who furnished our supplies, and
many others, which could neither be foreseen nor prevented, retarded
the movements of the Expedition ; and it was not till the morning
of the 5th of November that we were able to set out on our journey.
It may w'ell be imagined that the attractions of Tripoly are neither
very great nor very numerous ; and our stay there had been attended
with a good deal of trouble and vexation in making the necessary
arrangements for our departure : but the friendly attentions which
w^e had invariably received from many of its principal European in-
habitants, as well as from several of its Mahometan residents, greatly
contributed to enliven the monotony of a Moorish town ; and it was
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
11
not without feelings of sincere regret that we took leave of our little
circle of acquaintance. This had latterly been increased by the
arrival of Dr. Oudney and Lieutenant Clapper ton, of the navy, who
were commissioned by Government to make researches in the inte-
rior of Africa; and who were to proceed to Bornou, by way of
Morzouk, as soon as the preparations could be completed which
were necessary for so tedious a journey.
12
JOURNEY FROM
CHAPTER II.
General description of Tripoly ; its Castle and Port — ^The Buildings of Tripoly commended by
Leo Africanus — Present condition of the City — Its existing ancient remains — Burial-ground
of the ancient City — Sepulchral urns of glass discovered there by Mr. Consul Warrington —
Remarks of Leo Africanus on the soil and level of Tripoly, in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries — Accumulation of soil since that period — Advance of the sea, mentioned by Leo
Africanus, still observable on the coast of Northern Africa — These appearances adduced in
confirmation of Major Rennell’s remarks on the Lake Tritonis and the Lesser Syrtis — His-
torical sketch of Tripoly — Its actual state and improved condition under the present Bashaw
— Abolition of Piracy, and partial discontinuance of the Slave Trade.
The town of Tripoly has been built on a foundation of rock, and
is washed, to the northward, on two sides, by the sea ; while the
remaining parts, those to the southward and westward, are bounded
by a large sandy plain, which is notwithstanding partially culti-
vated*.
The form of the town is very irregular, but it is completely sur-
rounded by high and thick walls, which appear to have been once
very strong. They are now falling fast into ruin ; yet wherever any
part of the old work is seen, through the mud and irregular frag-
ments of stone, with which the ravages of time have been partially
concealed, it appears to be sohd and good f . The walls are besides
* Three sides of the town of Tripoly are said, in Tully’s Memoirs, to be washed by
the sea, which is certainly not now the case.
•)* The noted corsair Dragut is said to have been the author of this defence, and two
forts which were situated near the sea are also attributed to this person.
But
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
13
provided with ramparts, on which are planted a number of guns quite
sufficient to make themselves tolerably respected, were it not that
the impertinent interference of rust, and the occasional want of car-
riages for the guns, might contribute to prevent their effect. The
castle is built at the south-eastern angle of the city, close to the
water’s edge ; and may be said to connect the line of ramparts along
the beach with that which encloses the town to the southward. The
walls of the castle are unusually high, and have been fortunately
made to inchne a good deal inwards : we say fortunately, for so bad
is the state of repair, in which the exterior is kept, that without this
convenient inclination to the centre, they would not probably be
standing at all. Yet they are certainly of considerable thick-
ness ; and it is owing to the very unworkmanlike manner in which
the building has been from time to time augmented, for we ought
not to call it repaired, that its strength has been materially dimi-
nished
Appearances, however, are by no means disregarded ; and the sur-
But Leo Africanus, who flourished at the same period with Dragut, at the beginning
of the 16th century, has mentioned the walls of Tripoly as being high and handsome,
though not very strong ; and as the existing walls of the town, if they be really those of
Dragut, bear all the appearance of having once been very solid, we may perhaps sup-
pose that those mentioned by Leo were standing before the present ones were constructed.
The greatest length of the city, including the . walls, may be said to be about 1360
yards, and its extreme breadth about a thousand yards.
* The happy confusion of buildings which surmount the walls of the castle, raised at
various times for the convenience and accommodation of the royal family, together with
the little world which is contained within its limits, have been well, and correctly
described in Tully’s Memoirs.
14
JOURNEY FROM
face of His Highness’s castle and residence (for the building is both
one and the other) displays a bright coating of plaster and white-
wash over the unseemly patchwork beneath it.
The city walls and ramparts are for the most part disguised under
a cloak of the same gay material ; and the whole together, viewed
under an African sun, and contrasted with the deep blue of an
African sky, assumes a decent, we may even say, a brilliant ap-
pearance. It must, however, be confessed that this is much im-
proved by distance ; for a too close inspection will occasionally
discover through their veil the defects which we have alluded
to above ; and large flakes of treacherous plaster will occasionally
be found by near observers to have dropt off and left them quite
exposed.
Leo Africanus has informed us that the houses and bazars of
Tripoly were handsome compared with those of Tunis. How far
this epithet might have been applicable at the period here alluded
to, we are not ourselves able to judge; but we must confess that the
beauty of the existing houses and bazars of Tripoly did not appear
to us particularly striking : and if the comparison drawn by Leo
may be still supposed to hold, we do not envy the architects of Tunis
whatever fame they may have acquired by the erection of the most
admired buildings of that city. The mosques and colleges, as well
as hospitals, enumerated by our author, must have been very differ-
ent from those now existing to entitle them to any commendation ;
and the rude and dilapidated masses of mud and stone, or more fre-
quently, perhaps, of mud only, here dignified by the appellation of
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
15
houses, do not certainly present very brilliant examples either of
taste, execution, or convenience. Indeed, if we consider the actual
state of Tripoly, we might be authorized, perhaps, in disputing its
claims to be ranked as a city at all; and they who are unaccustomed
to jVIahometan negligence might imagine that they had wandered
to some deserted and ruinous part of the town, when in reality
they were traversing the most admired streets of a populous and
fashionable quarter. This want of discernment, however, is chiefly
conflned to Europeans ; for the greater part of the Maho-
metan inhabitants of Tripoly are strongly convinced of its beauty
and importance ; while the wandering Arab who enters its gates,
and looks up to the high and whitewashed walls of the Bashaw’s
castle, expresses strongly in his countenance the astonishment which
he feels how human hands and ingenuity could have accomplished
such a structure.
Of the ancient remains now existing in Tripoly, the Koman arch
we have already alluded to, with a few scattered fragments of tesse-
lated pavement, and some partial ruins of columns and entablatures,
here and there built into the walls of modern structures, are all that
we were able to discover*.
The harbour is formed by a long reef of rocks running out into the
sea in a north-easterly direction, and by other reefs at some distance
* To the eastward of the town, however, on a tract of rocky and elevated ground, is
the burial-place of the ancient city ; where the researches of Mr. Consul Warrington
have brought to light some very interesting objects ; particularly several large sepulchral
urns of glass, the most perfect we have ever seen.
16
JOURNEY FROM
to the eastward of these, all of which make together a very good
shelter. In the deepest part, however, there is very little more than
five and six fathoms water.
At the extremity of a rocky projection to the northward, forming
part of the first-mentioned reef, are two batteries, called the New,
and Spanish, forts ; and to the westward of these, on an insulated
rock, is a circular one called the French fort. Besides these, there
are two others on the beach to the eastward, which, with the New
and Spanish forts, would prove of considerable annoyance to hostile
vessels entering the harbour. The forts are in better condition than
the walls and ramparts, which we have already stated to be very
much dilapidated, and the guns very little attended to.
The mosques and baths of Tripoly, with its coffee-houses, bazars,
^c., as well as the manners and customs, dresses, prejudices, and
other peculiarities, of the people who are in the habit of fre-
quenting them, have been so amply, and so well described in
other publications, that we need not here attempt any account of
them *.
We may, however, be allowed a few words on the peculiarities
of soil, at present observable in the neighbourhood of Tripoly, as con-
trasted with those which appear to have existed in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries.
It has been observed by Leo Africanus, (who flourished during
* We allude principally to the works of Consul Tully and Captain Lyon, and to
Blaquiere’s Letters from the Mediterranean.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
17
tlie pontificate and under the protection of Leo the Tenth,) that
there was at all times a scarcity of grain in Tripoly, and that the
country about it was incapable of cultivation ; but it will appear from
the passages which we have quoted below, as well as from the actual
state of the place, that it is merely the want of rain (which is occa-
sionally experienced) that now prevents the soil in question from
producing good crops very regularly *.
^'l^hen we inquire into the cause of this difference, a more inter-
* “ Til our way home” (says the artless and amiable writer of Tully’s Memoirs) “ we
passed through a street noted for its corn-wells, or rather caverns, dug very deep into
the earth. They are situated on each side of the street, at about thirty yards’ distance.
They were designed for magazines to lay up corn in, wliere they say it will keep perfectly
good for an hundred years. Happy were it for the inhabitants of this country if these
caverns were filled now as they formerly when the country was so rich in the pro-
duce of corn, that it was from hence exported to many parts of the world, and prized
almost above any other. The barley when sown here yields twice as much as it does in
Europe. When it grows properly, they reckon thirty and thirty-five ears for one an
ordinary produce ; while in Europe fourteen or fifteen is considered as a good return.”
In dry seasons, however, which frequently occur, the case appears to be far otherwise.
“ The times are so much altered now,” (continues the authoress above mentioned,)
“ that corn is imported at an immense expense. This melancholy change is attributed
to the want of rains, which have failed for several years past. There have not been
more than one or two good harvests for thirty years. If cargoes of wheat do not soon
arrive from Tunis, the state of this place will be dreadful beyond description.” — Tullfs
Narrative, p. 49. — Again, the same writer says, p. 67, “ It has been ascertained by the
Bashaw to-day, that there is only barley for sale at two bazars, or market-places, left
in the place. A few years since the barley here grew so favourably, that it produced in
return three times as much as in any part of Europe. Such quantities of it were
exported, that Tripoly was enriched by its sale ; but the failure of rain has left the
country for several years without one good harvest.”
This account is consistent with the above, and we have here some idea of what may be
meant by the vfovd formerly , in the passage first quoted, which is certainly somewhat
indefinite.
D
18
JOURNEY FROM
esting result will be afforded by the inquiry than any which relates
to the quantity of corn produced at Tripoly. We find, for instance,
that the lands to the southward of Tripoly (we mean those in the
immediate neighbourhood of the town) were subject, in the time of
the African Geographer, to be overflowed for some extent by the
sea ; while the same parts are now above the level of the water,
which never reaches high enough to cover them *. “ iVll the country
about Tripoly” (says Leo Africanus) “ is sandy hke that of Numidia;
and the reason of this is, that the sea enters freely towards the south-
ward, (entra assai verso mezzogiorno,) so that the lands which ought
to be cultivated are aU covered with water. The opinion of the
inhabitants,” he continues, with respect to this riviera, is, that there
was formerly a considerable tract of land extending to the north-
ward ; but that for many thousand years the sea has been advancing
and covering it ; which is observable,” he adds, “ and known to be
the case, on the coast of IMonasteer, as well as at Mahdia, Sfax, Gabes,
and the island of Girbe ; with other cities to the eastward, whose
shores have but little depth of water ; so that one may walk a mile
or two into the sea without being up to the waist. Wherever this
occurs,” (continues Leo) “ such places are said to be considered as
parts of the soil overflowed by the sea (that is, not within the ori-
ginal bounds of the latter,) “ and the inhabitants of Tripoly,” he tells
“ us, are of opinion, that their city stood formerly more to the north-
* Part of the sandy plain to the south-eastward is, however, occasionally flooded dur-
ing the prevalence of strong northerly gales, and there is a tract of marshy ground, to
the westward of the town, between the cultivated parts and the sea.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
19
ward; but that owing to the continual advance of the sea it has been
gradually extended in a southerly direction ; they also declare, ’ says
our Author, “ that remains of houses and other buildings may still
be observed under water*.”
From this account, contrasted with the actual appearance of the
place in question, we must either suppose that the level of the lands
here alluded to, which are those in the immediate neighbourhood of
Tripoly, is higher, at the present time, than it was in the age of Leo,
or that the sea has retired since that period. F or although the soil
of Tripoly still continues to be sandy, there is now no part of it, as
we have stated above, overflowed to the southward of the town f.
* (Leo Africanus in Ramusio, p. 72.) — With respect to the former extension of Tri-
poly to the northward, here mentioned by the African geographer, the observation is
certainly in some degree correct, and consistent with the present appearance of other
parts of <^he coast of Northern Africa ; but we must at the same time observe that the
town could scarcely have projected any farther to the northward than the sites of the
French and Spanish forts ; for beyond these we get into five and eight fathoms water.
t We must, liowever, confess, that we cannot altogether understand, why the loss of
the ground in the immediate neighbourhood of Tripoly, said by Leo Africanus to have
been flooded in his days, should have necessarily occasioned to the inhabitants of the
town so great a scarcity of grain as that mentioned by this geographer. For the high
grounds immediately beyond the parts which were overflowed, must at all times, we
should- conceive, from their rocky foundation, have been placed above the level ol the
sea at its greatest height, and might therefore have been cultivated as we find them to
be at present ; and the Gharian mountains, as well as the country of Tagiura, both of
which are still very productive, are mentioned by Leo as places highly cultivated at the
period of the overflow alluded to.
We may remark on this subject — that the coincidence of the former with the present
state of the last-mentioned places, appears to be the more worthy of notice, from the
circumstance of our finding the actual produce of other districts, both in Tunis and
Tripoly, very different from what it appears to have been in earlier periods. Among
other examples, in proof of this assertion, we may notice the great difference which has
D 2
20
JOURNEY FROM
As we cannot suppose that the sea has retired since the time of the
author in question — (for we shall hereafter point out several instances
on the coast, between this part of Northern Africa and Alexandria,
in which it rather appears to have gained) — we must conclude that,
since the age of Leo Africanus, the land alluded to has been rising
in a greater proportion than the sea.
This elevation of soil is, at the same time, by no means inconsistent
with the rise of the waters already mentioned ; for, as the coast is here
sandy, we may yenture to conclude, that the sea, notwithstanding it
continued to rise, threw up, from time to time, a sufficient quantity
of sand to raise the level of the country above it ; and we shall thus
have an additional confirmation of what appears to be actually the
taken place in the produce and soil of Byzacium. This district was formerly much
renowned for its fertility ; and we are informed by Pliny that one grain of corn from
the Byzacium was sent to the Emperor Augustus, which yielded four hundred shoots ;
and that three hundred and forty stems had been afterwards sent to Nero, produced
equally from a single grain of corn But whatever be the cause of the change which
has taken place, we find the soil of the Byzacium to have greatly fallen off from its for-
mer extraordinary fertility ; in proof of which we need only extract the following obser-
vations from Shaw’s Travels in Barbary.
“ Tlie many parts which I have seen of the ancient Byzacium, or winter circuit, fall
vastly short in fertility of the character which has been attributed to them by the
ancients. For such as are adjacent to the sea coast are generally of a dry, sandy nature,
with no great depth of soil in the very best portion of them. This is called the Sahul,
and is planted for the most part with olive-trees, which flourish here in the greatest
perfection. Neither is the inland country in a much better condition.”
“ Misit ex eo loco Divo Aus^usto procurator ejus, ex uno ^rano, (vix credibile dictu) quadring-enta
paucis minus germina, extantqiie de ea re cpistola;. Misit et Ncroni similiter CCCXL stipulas ex uno
grano.- — Nat. Hist. 1. xviii. c. 10.
Again (lib. v. c. 4 ) Ita (Byzacium) appellatur regio CCL. M. P. circuitu, fertilitatis eximiae, cum
centesima fruge agricolis fcenus reddente terra.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
21
case on the coasts of the Greater Syrtis, and Cyrenaica, as well as of
the ingenious conjectures of Major Rennell with regard to the Lake
Tritonis and the Lesser Syrtis.
It is well known that Tripoly, after the destruction of Carthage,
became a Koman province ; and that on the conquest of a great part
of Northern Africa by the Vandals, it passed into the hands of those
barbarians, from which it was rescued, in the reign of Justinian, by
the valour and abilities of Belisarius. The rapid and extraordinary
progress of Mahometanism, soon after the death of its founder,
involved Tripoly, together with the whole of Northern Africa, in
the general wreck of civilization and Christianity : since that period
it has remained, with few exceptions, in the hands of its Moslem
conquerors, passing successively from the government of the Caliphs
to the tyranny of Morocco, Fez, Tunis, and the Porte. After
the erection of the walls of the town, already mentioned as the
work of Dragut, Tripoly became the secure resort of most of the
Corsairs who roved under Turkish colours ; and from that port they
continually make attacks and descents on the opposite shores of the
Mediterranean.
After the death of Dragut, the Porte continued to send Governors
to Tripoly under the titles of Sangiac and Bashaw ; and the castle
was garrisoned by Turkish troops while the Moors inhabited the city.
At length, in the year 1714, it was finally rescued from the oppression
of the Turks by the great-grandfather of the reigning Bashaw ; who,
having contrived to assassinate the whole of the garrison, took the
reins of government into his own hands, and obtained the title of
22
JOURNEY FROM
Hamet the Great. From that time to the present it has remained
under the government of the Moors, although the supremacy of the
Grand Signor is still acknowledged, and tribute is paid to the
Porte.
A\^e may say, in allusion to the actual state of Tripoly, that it ap-
pears to be making some advances towards civilization, and is begin-
ning to feel the good effects which result from a state of security and
tranquillity. Indeed, when we reflect upon its deplorable condition
at the time of the accession of Sidi Yusuf, and look back upon the
horrors of civil discord and contention to which it had been for more
than eight years exposed — impoverished at the same time by indis-
criminate extortion and plunder, and subjected during the period of
these heavy calamities to the dreadful effects of famine and plague —
we may venture to assert that the present state of Tripoly is far
better than might have been expected. It is now secure under the
protection of an established government, property is respected, and
commerce is improving ; its markets are well supplied, its manufac-
tures are encouraged, and its population appears to be increasing *.
A considerable portion of the revenue of Tripoly was formerly
drawn from the plunder obtained by her corsairs ; and a very lucra-
* Before we take leave of Tripoly it may be proper to recommend, for the information
of those who may hereafter visit that country, the useful pi'ecaution of not subjecting
themselves to the fluctuation which is usual in the exchange of the place. Money, in
Tripoly, is in the hands of a few ; and its possessors, who are by no means unacquainted
with the most profitable methods of laying it out, are not at all times particularly re-
markable for a liberal treatment of strangers. We found the exchange get more un-
favourable as our demand for money increased ; and having been obliged to make some
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
23
tive branch of her commerce consisted in the traffic of slaves. The
humane interference, and the decisive measures, of England, have
con tributed to check, if not quite to abohsh, these execrable sources
of profit. Piracy, so far at least as we were able to learn, has been
wholly superseded by commerce; and when the Tripolines find
that it is more to their interest to give up their traffic in human
kind than to continue it, we may hope to see this also relinquished.
It may, however, be added (we fear) that till then such a consum-
mation must not be expected, however devoutly it may be wished.
Indeed, we cannot reasonably expect that it should ; for the feelings
which result from a high state of civilization will never be found to
precede civihzation itself : and humanity, however strongly we may
believe, or may wish to believe, it is implanted in the breasts of all
mankind, has not often been found to weigh very heavy against the
scale in which interest, or inchnation, has been opposed to it.
comparatively heavy payments in Spanish dollars, the value of them rose in proportion
as it was known we had occasion for them^. In order to remedy, or rather to prevent
impositions of a similar nature, it would be advisable for travellers to take with them,
in Spanish dollars, the amount of the sums they may have occasion for in Tripoly ; for
even if the exchange should be good on their arrival there, it would most probably
lower as they were known to have occasion for money. Should this be inconvenient,
bills might be drawn on Malta, and the money in Spanish dollars^ forwarded by the
first secure vessel which might be sailing from that port to Tripoly.
> It must, however, be observed, in justice to the house of Messrs. Beaussier and Co., that we expe-
rienced a more liberal treatment from them than from any other house in Tripoly.
The Spanish dollar is the coin in most general request in the northern and inland parts of Africa.
24
JOURNEY FROM
Geographical Eemarks on the Towns and District of Tripoly.
The town of Tripoly has been usually considered to occupy
the site of the ancient Oea ; one of the cities which, with Sabrata
and Leptis Magna, the Tripoli Vecchia and Lebidaof modern times,
composed the three principal towns of a district which took from
them the appellation of Tripolis.
At what precise period this tract of country assumed the title of
Tripolis does not appear to be clearly ascertained; but we may pro-
bably conclude that it acquired it in the reign, either of Titus, or of
his successor Domitian ; soon after the building of Sabrata and Oea,
which may be supposed to have taken place before the middle of the
first century*.
* We find both these cities mentioned by Pliny ; and one of them (Oea) by Pom-
poniiis Mela, while nothing is said by Strabo either of the cities or the district. Pliny
died A.D. 79 ; Mela is supposed to have flourished about the middle of the first cen-
tury, and Strabo in the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius. We may infer, from the silence
of Strabo on the subject, tliat neither Sabrata nor Oea e.xisted in his time ; and as
Pliny, though he mentions both cities, appears to have been unacquainted with the
name of the district in question, we may also perhaps infer that it was bestowed upon it
after his time. What is stated by Cellarius on the subject of Tripolis, appears to con-
firm this opinion : for he tells us that he knew of no one before the time of Solinus, who
made any mention in Africa of the name*; and that Ae only applied the term to the
district, and not to any particular city.
Solinus is known to have written after Pliny, towards the close of the first century ;
and we may therefore, perhaps, conclude, that the distinct called Tripolis, received that
appellation between the times of Pliny and Solinus.
“ Nec qui ante Solinum. non antiquissinium scriptorem, mentionem vocis Tripolis in Africa fecerit suc-
currit nobis ; qui vero, non urbem, sed trium oppidorum regionein intellexit. — (Lib. iv. cap. 3. ^ 18.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
25
It seems to be still more uncertain when the name of the district
was bestowed upon the cities of Tripoly ; for although Tripoli Vec-
chia (which we have already called Sabrata) has been said to be the
first which assumed it, there does not appear to be any other proof in
favour of this supposition, (at least we are not ourselves acquainted
with it,) than that which may be inferred from the epithet vecchia,
by which this town has been for centuries distinguished. Both cities
appear to have flourished together under the Komans ; and were in
all probability destroyed at the same time, in the Saracen invasion of
the country. As Sabrata, however, continued to remain in ruins,
while a new town sprung up on the site of the ancient Oea, the name
of Tripoly may have, perhaps, been first assumed by the latter;
while Sabrata, from the circumstance of its being in ruins, was dis-
tinguished by the epithet which it retains.
Il^e are not aware of any proof that either Sabrata or Oea had
changed their names before their destruction by the Saracens ; and as
no town appears to have been erected on the ruins of the former,
there was no necessity for distinguishing it by another. When a
new town arose on the ruins of Oea, it is probable that the appella-
tion by which it is at present known to the Moors, and which is
merely a corruption of the Koman term for the district *, was the first
* Trablis, the Moorish name of the town, is not, however, properly a corruption of
Tripolis ; it is merely the same word articulated through the medium of Arab pronun-
ciation.
Some authors have imagined an early African name Tarabilis, or Trebilis, from
which the Roman name Tripolis was derived j but this is merely imaginary, since the
meaning of Tripolis clearly points out its origin to be Greek.
E
•26
JOURNEY FROM
name which either town assumed after the loss of those which for-
merly distinguished them. Trkblis would have been known to the
nations of Europe as the same name with that of Tripolis ; and they
would naturally have written the term like that of the district, when-
ever there might have been occasion to mention it, Supposing this
to be the case, we may fairly assume, that the name of Tripolis
was never given by the ancients at all to either of the cities in
question ; and that it is only, in fact, since the Mahometan conquest
that the name of the district has been applied to them.
This appears to be more probable when we consider that the title
of — The district of the three cities— as, Tripolis must be translated,
would be a very unappropriate term for a single town, although it
might be well applied to a department. Such an objection, however,
would by no means appear to the Mahometan invaders of the coun-
try, who may certainly be imagined to have been ignorant of the
language from which the word in question is compounded; and they
would discover no reason why the former name of the district might
not be a proper one for their new town.
We have not been at the pains to search minutely into this question,
which would probably receive light from the writers of the Lower
Empire ; and we offer the conjectures which we have hazarded above,
in the absence of more decided information. At the same time,
however, it may here be remarked, that the propriety of adopting
the word Tripolis, which appears in the printed copies of Ptolemy,
is questioned on very good authority. In support of this assertion
we need only refer our readers to the Fourth Book of Cellarius,
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
27
(chap. 3,) where the question is amply discussed ; and as the adop-
tion of this reading, instead of that of Leptis Magna, which appears
to be decidedly the proper one, would create an endless and unne-
cessary confusion in the geography of that part of the country which
lies between Tripoli Vecchia and Lebida, we have thought it not
irrelevant to allude to it
It is perhaps the more necessary that we should do so, as Signor Della
Celia has availed himself of the reading above mentioned, and of a pas-
sage which he has quoted from Pliny, to identify the modern town of
Tripoly with Neapolis ; which is too evidently the same town with
Leptis Magna (or Lebida), to admit of any similar arrangement f.
* In hoc tractu autem, post Cinyphum fluvium, prima Ptoleraseo est (Nea-
polis) de qua, in editis, exstat, rt kou TgiTroXiy (quae etiam Tripolis vocatui-) : in Palatine
autem codice nihil de Tripoli legitur, sed v xa! Asitrts ixiyaXri (quae, Neapolis, etiam
Leptis Magna dicitur.) — Geog. Antiq. lib. iv. cap. 3.
It may be added, in support of the reading in the Palatine manuscript, that Neapolis
is mentioned by Ptolemy iimnediately after the Cinyphus, which lies to the eastward of
Leptis Magna ; so that the geographer, in passing, as he does, from east to west, must
be supposed to have omitted Leptis Magna altogether, if Neapolis be not intended to
depote it.
+ This reading of Ptolemy, as will appear from the passage which we have quoted
above from Cellarius, is contradicted by the Palatine manuscript ; and must be rejected
on the authority of Scylax and Strabo, and even of Ptolemy himself. — (See the Fourth
Book of Cellarius). The passage of Pliny is not so easily disposed of. After mentioning
the city of Sabrata, this author observes, in speaking of the country which lies between
the Great and Lesser Syrtis, “ Ibi civitas Oensis, Cynips fluvius ac regio, oppida,
Neapolis, Taphra, Abrotonum, Leptis altei'a, qupe cognominatur magna.” — (Hist. Nat.
lib. V. cap. .j.) Here we find Neapolis mentioned immediately after Oea, and distin-
guished from Leptis Magna. “ lo ci'ederei,” says Signor della Celia, “ che sia piu
conforme al vero, 1 ammettere che Tripoli degli antichi geografi debba riconoscersi nelle
rovine che trovansi a ponente de Tripoli tuttora chiamato Tripoli Vecchio. Pare che
28
JOURNEY FROM
We have by no means any wish to detract from the merits of this
gentleman, who deserves every credit for the spirit of inquiry which
I’abbandono, qualunque ne fosse la cagione, di questa citta, desse luogo alia formazione
di quella che attualmente ne porta il nome, e che in quell’ epoca fu chiamata Tripoli il
nuovo, o la nuova citta, e da’ Greci NsaTroXis-. In questa opinione consente la vera
lezione di Tolommeo, ove leggesi NgaTroXir ^ xal T|i7roXis-. (Neapoli che dicesi anche
Tripoli.) Ho detto la vera lezione di Tolommeo, perche io ho per apocrifa quella
adottata dal Cellario, dove in vece di TgiTroXir, avendo sostituito A-e-nns, tutto rimane
altei-ato e confuso. Con Tolommeo concorda Plinio che ha per due citta diverse
Neapoli e Leptis Magna, e tra queste due tramette Gaffara e Abrotono; e Plinio,
per le cognizione che poteva attinger nella citta, e ne’ tempi ne’ quali scriveva, merita
sopra ogni altro credenza intorna alia geografia di questa parte dell’ Africa.” — ( Viaggio
da Tripoli, &c. p. 41.)
It will not here be vei-y evident how the modern town of Tripoly can, on the autho-
rity of Pliny, be supposed to be the same with Neapolis. For Tripoly is identified by
the best authorities with Oea ; and Neapolis is mentioned, in the passage alluded to, as
situated between Oea and Taphra, (the Graphara and Garapha of Scylax and Ptolemy.)
But supposing it to be, as Signor della Celia has stated, that the decay ofithe “ Tripoli
degli antrichi geografi” had really given occasion to the building of the present one,
under the title he has conferred upon it of Neapolis; it follows that the former city
must have borne the name of Tripolis in the time of Pliny, who, so far from knowing
any town of that name, does not even recognise the district under the title.
It must, however, be confessed, that the introduction of Neapolis, in the situation which
Pliny has assigned to it, is by no means very easily accounted for. At the same time
it is certain, that the position in question is directly in opposition to the authority of
Strabo, as well as to that of Scylax and of Ptolemy ; who, all of them, identify Neapolis
with Leptis Magna, as will be seen by a I'eference to Cellarius. This author, who in-
sists very properly upon the authority of Strabo, &c., that Neapolis is Leptis Magna,
supposes, with Hardouin, that Pliny has adopted the passage above quoted from Mela,
whom he censures for having brouglit together places so distant from each other. But
Mela is evidently speaking of the country to the Avestward of the Lesser Syrtis ; of
Leptis Parva, and the Neapolis Colonia of Ptolemy, situated near the extremity of the
Mercurii Promontorium, in the vicinity of Clypea ; so that, although the towns and
cities which he enumerates do not come in the proper succession, they all of them belong
to the part of the country which he is describing ; and not, as Cellarius imagines, to both
sides of the river Triton, which would have made a much more serious confusion. It is
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
29
has led him to encounter the fatigues and privations of a journey
like that which he has accomplished. He is the first European who
has crossed the Greater Syrtis since the occupation of Northern
Africa by the Komans ; at least he is the only one that we know of,
since that period, who has published any account of such a journey ;
and he is therefore entitled to the merit of having afforded us the
only information which has been given for many centuries of an inter-
esting and extensive tract of country. Eut as we shall frequently
have occasion to refer to his work in the course of the present nar-
rative, we trust that we shall not be suspected of undervaluing its
merits, because we may sometimes find it necessary to point out
what we conceive to be its errors.
In considering the modern town of Tripoly as Oea, one difficulty
will however present itself : Oea is no where mentioned as a port,
that we have been able to discover ; whereas Tripoly must always
have been one. But as many cities are mentioned as ports by one
therefore less easy to imagine whence Pliny has derived his Neapolis, or what is his
authority for the order in which he places the other cities of the district ; if indeed he
intended them to be in order at all, which from his mention of Oea (the civitas Oeensis)
conjointly with the river Cinyphus% we might probably be authorized in denying. We
find Abrotonum also introduced by Cellarius, instead of Acholla, in the passage which
he has quoted from Mela : the proper reading is — Hadrumetum, Leptis, Clypea, Acholla,
Taphrure**, Neapolis, hiiic ad Syrtim adjacent, ut inter iguobilia celeberrimae.
» The Taphrure of Mela must not be eonfounded with Pliny’s Taphra, which is the same with Graphara
or Garapha.
*> Mela has however done the same (ultra est Oea oppidum, et Cinypus fluvius, per uberrima arva
decidens. . .) and the difficulty is increased by what follows — turn Leptis altera, &c. ; both accounts are very
confused, and open to much discussion, but this is not the place for it, and we have already perhaps said too
much upon the subject.
30
JOURNEY FROM
writer, while they are merely styled cities by another, this objection
may readily be waived. Garapha is by Ptolemy styled by
Scylax mXig, by Pliny, Oppidum ; Abrotonum is by Strabo called otX/?,
by Scylax mXtg xcct by Pliny, Oppidum : Leptis Magna is rarely
mentioned as a port, although it is well known to have been one ; and
many more examples might be adduced by those m ho would take the
trouble to collect them.
^Vhat is now called modern Tripoly has been said by some writers
to have been built by the early inhabitants of Northern Africa,
under the name of Tarabilis or Trebiles; and the same authors have
stated that the Koman term of Tripohs is derived from the name
which they bestowed upon it. We have already noticed the impro-
bability of this latter supposition ; and we may now venture to add,
that there appears to be no proof of any town having been built upon
the site of modern Tripoly before the erection of the city of Oea.
Leptis Magna is known to have been built by the Phoenicians, on the
authority of several Avriters of antiquity ; but the other two cities
composing the Tripolis have always been considered of Roman origin,
and no mention is made of any other having ever been assigned to
them in works not comparatively modern.
Leo Africanus, who may be supposed to have compiled his account
of Africa from the authority chiefly of Mahometan historians, has
given his testimony in favour of the native origin of Tripoly, while
he states that Tripoli Vecchia was built by the Romans. “ Questa,”
(Tripoli Vecchia) says the African geographer, “ e una citta antica
edificata pur da’ Romani but of the other town he states, “ Tri-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
31
poli fu edificata da gli Africani, dopo la rovina della Vecchia Tri-
poli”— without any allusion whatever to the circumstance of its
having been originally a Eoman city.
Whatever may be the earhest authority for this supposition, it
appears to be evidently founded on an imperfect knowledge of the
place ; for if there were even no reason for supposing Tripoly to be
Oea, we must still have allowed it Roman origin ; or at least we
must have admitted it to have been in existence at the time when
the Romans held the country. The Roman arch, which has been
given in the work of Captain Lyon, is sufficient to establish this cir-
cumstance; and the inscription which it bears, also given in the same
publication, and mentioned in the Memoirs of Consul Tully *
refers this edifice to the time of Marcus Aurelius. In stating that
Tripoly was built by the Africans, after the ruin of Tripoli Vecchia,
we might have imagined that Leo only meant to allude to its re-con-
struction under the Mahometans ; but from the circumstance of his
having just before mentioned Tripoli Vecchia, as a city which was
built by the Romans, it seems to be probable that, had he been
* Or rather of a female relation of Consul Tully, to whom the woi-k in question is
attributed.
It is observed in the same work, “ When this arch was built, there were few habita-
tations nearer this place than Lebida, the Leptis Magna of the ancients and farther on,
“ the Romans strayed to the spot where Tripoly now stands, to hunt wild beasts ; and
under this arch they found a welcome retreat from the burning rays of the sun.” But
the arch was erected after the middle of the second century ; and both Sabrata and Oea
were extant in the time of Pliny, who flourished in the middle of the first, — the conclu-
sion is obvious.
32
JOURNEY FROM
aware of them, he would equally have noticed the pretensions of
modern Tripoly to a higher antiquity than he has assigned to it.
Tripoli Vecchia was destroyed, under the cahphate of Omar, by
the Saracen invaders of the country. The city was pillaged, after a
siege of six months, and its inhabitants either slain or carried prisoners
to Egypt and Arabia. This is stated by Leo; and here we have a
date for the destruction of the city of Sabrata, which appears to have
never been rebuilt : but how long after the occurrence of this event
Modern Tripoly first appeared on the ruins of Oea we have not
been informed by our author. And it seems to be evident that he
considered the African town as the first which had been raised upon
the spot.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
33
CHAPTEK III.
Departure of the Expedition from Tripoly — Passage through Tagiura — Fertile appear-
ance of the latter — Its Mosque, and actual remains — Tagiura considered as the site of
Abrotonum — Existence of a salt-water lake at Tagiura, consistent with Strabo’s ac-
count of Abrotonum — Present tranquil condition of the country in this neighbourhood
contrasted with its dangerous state in the time of Consul Tully — Sand-heaps to the
eastward of Tagiura — Remarks on their formation, and on the accumulation of sand
in other places— Dangers of the sand-storm considered — Passage over the sandy tract
to the eastward of Tagiura — Arrive at Wady Ramleh — Stormy weather at that place—
Take leave of our European friends who had accompanied us from Tripoly — Continuance
of the gale — Arrive at Wady’m’Seyd — Attempt to pass, without success, across the
sand-hills to the coast. — Arrive at Guadigmata — ^Position of Graphara, as laid down
by Scylax, considered. — Ancient remains discovered by Captain Smyth in the neigh-
bourhood of Wady’m’Seyd and Abdellata. — Remarks on these, considered as the re-
mains of Graphara — Scuffle with the Arabs at Sidy Abdellati — Remains at that place indi-
cative of an ancient military station — Cross the range of Sclem — Extensive view from its
summit over the fertile plains of Lebida and Jumarr — Rains still continue — Distress of the
camels — Meet with the English Consul on his return from an excursion to Lebida — Report
of a troop of marauding Arabs lying in wait for our party.
On the 4th of November our arrangements were completed, and
we were able to send the greater part of our baggage to the tents
wEich had been pitched in a garden without the town ; on the fol-
lowing morning we took a final leave of Tripoly, and set out on
our journey to Tagiura.
Our party consisted of three Europeans, who acted equally as
interpreters and servants, a Tchaous, or janissary, belonging to the
Bashaw, Shekh Mahommed el Dubbah, with five other Bedouin
Arabs, and three Arabs of Tripoly to look after the horses, making-
altogether (ourselves included) eighteen.
:|£ F
34
JOURNEY FROM
After passing through the Messeah, or cultivated district in the
neighbourhood of Tripoly, and along the large Salt Marsh, men-
tioned in Tully’s Memoirs, which was now completely covered with
water, we entered the scattered villages of Tagiura. They are sur-
rounded by gardens, yielding abundant crops of corn, fruit and vege-
tables, and shaded by thickly-planted date and olive-trees, which are
equally valuable to the inhabitants. We find Tagiura described by
Leo Africanus as a country containing a good many villages, or ham-
lets, and many gardens of date and other fruit trees ; and its present
general appearance is probably little different from that which it pre-
sented in the time of this geographer.
In consequence of a considerable emigration from Tripoly, this
country (he adds) became “ assai nobile e civile but we must con-
fess that there are at present very little remains of its importance,
or extraordinary civilization ; unless a large mosque, of some appa-
rent antiquity (highly reverenced by its Mahometan population) and
the good-humoured hospitality with which we were received by the
natives, may be considered as examples of both.
The people, however, appeared to be contented and happy, and
greeted us ^^Itli many friendly salutations as we passed through their
highly-cultivated country. Some Koman columns, which are said to
be in the interior of the mosque, would seem to point out its vicinity
to an ancient site * ; and if we must necessarily consider I'agiura to
* This circumstance is however by no means conclusive, even supposing the columns
to be as stated; for Leo Africanus informs us that modern Tidpoly was built from the
ruins of Leptis Magna, after the final destruction of that city : and the columns in
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
35
occupy the position of any ancient town, we should suppose it to
stand on that of Abrotonum.
But it will be found, upon inquiry, that there are considerable dif-
ficulties attendant on such a conclusion. F or Abrotonum is stated
by Scylax to have been two days’ sail from Leptis Magna * ; and the
distance between Tagiura and Lebida (already identified with Leptis
ISIagna) is no more than 59 miles.
The mean rate allowed by Major Kennell, for the sailing of the
vessels of the ancients, is 35 miles per day ; so that the distance
between Leptis Magna and Abrotonum should, at this rate, be 70
miles. It is true that the rate of Nearchus, in the Red Sea and in
the Persian Gulf, as estimated by the same author, is no more
than 22| and 30 miles ; but this was occasioned by circumstances
not attendant on voyages in general, and must be considered (says
the Major) as an unusually low rate.
Another difficulty arises from the mention of Abrotonum as a port,
as well as a city, in the passage we have quoted from Scylax ; for
Tagiura cannot be said to possess one.
It will here immediately occur to the reader, that Tripoly has a
very good port ; and that the distance of that town from Lebida will
answer remarkably well with the distance of Scylax in question : for
Tripoly may be estimated at 67 miles from Lebida, which will be
question might as easily have been brought from Lebida, as the materials employed in
building the town of Tripoly.
* Avo ISieccTloKsais, fns ]T§tx(px^(3c 7lo\n. 'Tavln tia.^xtlXyis
K1C0 Ss AfgoTOvov ‘KoXis xai Xi/a»iv. Tau7n o wocgajrXuf f/itas.
36
JOURNEY FROM
within three of the 70 miles mentioned as the distance between Leptis
Magna and Abrotonum. Both these circumstances together will
therefore appear very strongly to favour the supposition that Tripoly
is Abrotonum ; Avhile a third, which we have already mentioned, viz.,
that Oea is not stated to be a port by ancient writers, (at least, not that
we have been able to learn,) will contribute to strengthen the idea.
These facts would undoubtedly make it seem very probable that
Modern Tripoly is the Abrotonum of Scylax; but then the authori-
ties of D’Anville and Cellarius, and these are no slender authorities,
concur in placing that town on the site of Oea, as which we have
accordingly considered it
* Supposing Tripoly to be Oea, we must look for Abrotonum in some place as near
to that city as possible ; for the distance given by Scylax from Abrotonum to Leptis
Magna will become more and more perplexing as we continue to place it farther to the
eastward of Oea. Tagiura, under this supposition, is the site we should allow to Abro-
tonum ; but the difficulties which we have stated are against such a conclusion, and we
confess that we are unable to reconcile the contending authorities*.
Neither Sabrata nor Oea (as we shall hereafter mention) appear to have existed in the
time of Strabo : the first town which is mentioned by that geographer to the eastward
of the Lesser Syrtis, after the lake Zuchis, and the town of the same name (famous
for its purple dye and its salted provisions), is that of Abrotonum in question''.
No distance is given by Strabo from Zuchis to Abrotonum ; but the mention of a
lake much smaller than that of Zuchis, immediately before Abrotonum, (as will be seen
in the quotation below,) is consistent with the idea that Tagiura might be the place of
the city intended ; for we have stated that there is a lake a little to the westward of
Tagiura ; and although it is of tolerable size, it is nevertheless much smaller than that
of Zuchis, which is estimated by Strabo at 400 stadia.
a In Ptolemy vve find Abrotonum placed to tlic westward of Oca ; and in Pliny to the eastward of Taphra
(or Graphara) neither of which positions tend to simplify the matter in question.
b 'Siircc Ss nai ‘ avrv't of/.ci}VVfA0{ ur ■reXy i\arruv • xm (aivu.
nns- (Lib. 17. xnp. r. ^ 18.) It must be recollected that Strabo is passing from
west to east, and that this is also the course of the Expedition.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
37
We will not pursue the question further ; but will leave our
readers to judge how far Abrotonum may be placed at Tagiura under
the circumstances which we have already stated; merely adding,
that the fertile plains of Tagiura are admirably calculated for the
position of a town, and that many a pleasant day has been spent
among their villages and gardens by the European inhabitants of
Tripoly, who often make parties to visit them.
We may at the same time contrast the present quiet state of
Tagiura with that in which it was found by Consul Tully a short
time before the accession of Sidi Yusuf It was then considered
necessary, in visiting this place, although during what were called
tranquil times, that the party of the Consul, amounting to upwards
of forty, should be increased by the addition of several of the Bashaw’s
Chaouses ; and it was afterwards reported to His Highness, that he
had had, notwithstanding this prudent precaution, a very narrow
and fortunate escape.
We found the roads to, and through, Tagiura in most places inun-
dated by the heavy rains which had fallen before the commencement
of our journey ; a circumstance which, if it did not expedite our
travelling, had certainly the good effect of rendering it more pleasant,
by cooling the atmosphere and preventing the sand from flying.
This was the more fortunate, as the gardens to the eastward of the
town are bounded by a dreary tract of sandy desert, which we were
obliged to cross. The approach to it was indicated by numerous
hillocks of sand accumulated about the date-trees on the outskirts
of the villages, leaving their heads exposed, at various heights above
38
JOURNEY FROM
the sand, while some of them scarcely appeared above the summit.
Judging from the present appearance of Tagiura, we should imagine
that many gardens, situated on its eastern limits, have been com-
pletely overwhelmed by these heaps.
Any object which is stationary would arrest the progress of
sand borne towards it by the violence of the wind ; and the low
enclosures of Arab gardens in exposed situations might in a few years
disappear altogether.
We are not, however, inclined to attribute quite so much to the
overwhelming properties of sand, as many other travellers have done ;
and we do not think that the danger of being actually bui’ied will ap-
pear, on consideration, to be altogether so great, to those who are
crossing sandy deserts, as writers of high respectability have asserted.
The sand which encounters a body in motion, would pass it, we
should imagine, without accumulation; and the quantity which might
even be heaped upon sleepers could scarcely be more than they might
easily shake off in waking. We shudder at the dreadful accounts
which have been recorded of whole caravans, and whole armies,
destroyed by these formidable waves of the desert ; and when our
pity is strongly excited by such relations, we are seldom inchned to
analyze them very deeply. But a httle reflection would probably
convince us that many of these are greatly exaggerated : some, because
the writers believed what they related ; and some, because they
wished their readers to believe what they might not be quite con-
vinced of themselves.
In fact, we think, it probable that they who have perished
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
39
in deserts, from the time of the Psylli and Cambyses to the present,
have died, as is usual, before they were buried, either from violence,
thirst, or exhaustion *.
The idea in question has, however, become very general ; and we
can neither attribute much blame to the reader who believes what
is related on respectable authority, or to the writer who simply
informs us of what he himself considers to be true. To him whose
only view is to excite interest by exaggeration, we may, at least, say
it seems to be superfluous : for the hardships and dangers of a
journey over the sandy desert may be fully sufficient to satisfy the
most adventurous, and to exhaust the most robust, without calling
up the airy forms of imaginary horrors, to lengthen out the hne of
those which really present themselves -f-.
But if the desert have terrors peculiar to itself, it has also its
pecuhar pleasures. There is something imposing, we may say sub-
lime, in the idea of unbounded space which it occasionally presents ;
and every trifling object which appears above its untenanted surface,
assumes an interest which we should not on other occasions attri-
bute to objects of much greater importance.
The little romance which its stillness and solitude encourage, is at
* The Psylli inhabited the southern parts of the Greater Syrtis, and are said tp have
been altogether destroyed by clouds of sand which overwhelmed them in their passage
to the interior. The Nubian army of Cambyses is thought to have experienced a simi-
lar fate.— -Fide Herodotus, lib. iv.
* We would not here be thought to allude to any particular writer; but merely to
the general practice, which has obtained in all ages, of exaggerating the effects of the
sand-storm in desert travelling ; which, without amplification, is sufficiently obnoxious
in its genuine native dangers and inconveniences.
40
JOURNEY FROM
the same time grateful to the feelings ; and one may here dream
delightfully of undisturbed tranquillity and independence, and of
freedom from all the cares, the follies, and the vices of the world.
^Vhenever the wind is cool, without being too strong, the purity of
the air is at once refreshing and exhilarating ; and, if his stock of
water be not very low, the traveller feels disposed to be well pleased
with every thing
Such was precisely the feeling with which our party entered upon
the tract of sandy desert before them. We were glad to escape from
the continual din and bustle which had attended our preparations at
Tripoly ; and the very absence of harassing workmen and tradesmen
was alone a source of real satisfaction : the coolness of the sea-breeze
was unusually refreshing, at least, we persuaded ourselves that it
was so ; and the anticipation of an interesting journey was acting
very strongly upon our minds.
After quitting the cultivated grounds of Tagiura, the traveller is
left to pursue his course (in going eastward) as his experience or his
compass may direct — there being no indication whatever of any track
in the sands of the wide plain before him. As our principal object,
in this part of our journey, was to obtain a correct dehneation of the
coast, we pursued our route along the margin of the sea ; which
from Tagiura to Cape Sciarra takes the form of a bay, at the head of
which lies Wady Kamleh. It was late in the afternoon of the sixth
•f- These solitary enjoyments are by no means overdrawn ; every traveller accustomed
to desert journeys must have experienced them : and the late lamented Burckhardt has
frequently been heard to declare, that his most pleasant hours in travelling have been
passed in the desert.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
41
when we reached the Wady, and came up with the party who had
preceded us in advance with the camels and heavy baggage.
Wady Ramleh, or Rummel (as it is sometimes pronounced, which
signifies, in Arabic, sandy river, or sandy valley), is a small, but con-
stant stream of pure water, which finds its way across the desert
from the mountains to the southward. The bed of the stream
is much below the surface of the soil ; and judging from its
width, and the steep banks which confine it, we should conclude
that at the periods when the freshes come down from the mountains,
W ady liamleh may be swelled into a considerable body of water.
Here our day’s journey finished, and we pitched our tents near the
stream, making them as comfortable as a stormy night would allow
of for the friends who had accompanied us from Tripoly*. On the fol-
lowing morning the rain fell in torrents ; and as the prospect afforded
by the weather was not very inviting, we would not allow our com-
panions to stray farther with us from home ; but took our leave of
them, as we flattered ourselves, with mutual regret, and they retraced
their steps towards Tripoly, while we continued our journey to the
eastward.
The wind had by this time increased to a violent gale, and we
were very soon wet to the skin : but although such a state may not
appear to be at all times an enviable one, it was in fact very much so
on this occasion ; for the clouds of sand which would have been
hurled in our faces by the wind, had the surface of the desert been
* Lieut. Clapperton, Mr. Carstenson, and some other friends from Tripoly, had rode
with us thus far on our journey.
6
42
JOURNEY FROM
less wet, would have proved a much greater annoyance. With
this reflection we pursued our journey very contentedly, and our
Arab friends, composing Shekh Mahommed’s escort, appeared to be
equally well satisfied ; for they soon began to open the several budgets
of songs with which an Arab is never unprovided, roaring them out
to the full extent of their well-practised and powerful lungs, till they
fairly drowned the noise of the gale.
At 10 A.M. we passed through Wady’m’Seyd, a small stream some-
what inferior to Wady Ramleh, and soon entered upon the extensive
plain of Jumarr. Wady’m’Seyd may be termed the eastern limit of
the long sandy tract which stretches from thence far to the west-
ward, and passing to the southward of Tripoly, is bounded, in that
direction, by the Gharian mountains.
The sandy nature of the ground to the westward of Wady’m’Seyd
had latterly led us away from that part of the coast, and we now
endeavoured to regain the beach ; but the sands were so soft
that our horses sank up to their saddle-girths, and our utmost
efforts to reach it were unavailing : we were in consequence obliged
to give up the attempt, and leave this portion of the coast hne incom-
plete. Among the sand-hills we found several patches of rocky
ground strewed with fragments of pottery, but no vestiges of build-
ing were discernible. The plain of Jumarr, from the excellence
of its soil, would no doubt be extremely productive ; but notwith-
standing this advantage, and its vicinity to the metropohs, a small
part of it only is cultivated, and but few Arab tents were to be seen.
The Gharian range may here be considered to be about seven miles
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
43
from the coast; and the heavy rains and torrents from the mountains
have made several large ravines in this neighbourhood, which crossed
our path in their passage to the sea : the most considerable of these
are Wady Terragadt and Wady Booforris. Soon after four o’clock
we reached Guadigmata, where we found a small Arab encampment,
and pitched our tents for the night.
It is in the neighbourhood of Guadigmata, between that place
and Wady’m’Seyd, that we must look for the Graphara of Scylax.
For as that city is described by the geographer as being midway
between Abrotonum and Leptis Magna, that is, a day’s sail from
each — Guadigmata being 26 miles from Lebida, and the whole dis-
tance from Lebida to Tagiura 58| — it follows that the site of Gra-
phara might be fixed three miles to the westward of Guadigmata ;
which would place it at 29 miles’ distance from each of the cities in
question, or half way between Lebida and Tagiura*.
I’here are, however, no remains to the westward of Guadigmata
(between that place and Wady’m’Seid) that we could perceive
in our route ; but two miles beyond Guadigmata there are some
remains of building on a rising ground to the eastward of it, which
are too much buried under the soil to allow us to give any
satisfactory description of them. Two large upright stones, which
seem to have been the jambs of a gateway, are all that are now
* That is, if we suppose Tagiura to be the site of Abrotonum, as we have ourselves
already admitted, under the difficulties stated above, and in the absence of more decided
information than we have been able to obtain on the subject.
44
JOURNEY FROM
standing ; and not even the ground plans of other parts of these
remains could be obtained without excavation. We learnt, however,
from Captain Smyth that, in the neighbourhood of Wady’m’Seyd,
there is a small boat-cove resembling an ancient cothon ; and near it
the ruins of several baths with tesselated pavements ; which must
have been situated on that part of the coast which we were not able
to visit, for the reasons mentioned above. To the eastward of these,
another small port was also discovered by Captain Smyth (formed by
a point of land between the Wadies of Ben-z-barra and Abdellata), at
which the produce of the country is shipped off in the summer. The
mouth of the Abdellata is described by this officer as forming a pic-
%
turesque cove, and he observed on its left bank (a little way inland) a
village consisting of troglodytic caverns, excavated in the sand-stone
rock ; many of which being furnished with doors, are used by the
natives instead of the usual matamores, or subterranean storehouses,
as granaries.
The former of the ports here described may possibly have been
that of Graphara required ; but as there are more extensive remains
in the neighbourhood of that at Abdellata (or Abdellati), which we
shall presently have occasion to mention, we will not venture to fix
it as such decidedly.
On the day after our arrival at Guadigmata, the weather proving
still very bad, we did not proceed on our route ; but spent the day
in examining and securing our baskets of provisions many of w'hich
we found to have been wet through, and in making those other
little arrangements which, notwithstanding all precautions, are
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
45
usudly found to be necessary a day or two after the commence-
ment of a long journey.
We continued our route on the following morning, and found the
country beyond become gradually hilly, and the road to be again
intersected by Wadys, or ravines, extending themselves from the
mountains to the sea*. By four we had arrived at Sidy Abdellati :
so called from a celebrated Marabut, whose tomb, surrounded by
gardens and date-trees, stands conspicuous on the banks of one of
the Wadys. The country about it is everywhere well cultivated, the
wells are numerous, and the hills were covered with sheep and goats ;
but notwithstanding the numerous flocks in our neighbourhood, we
found considerable difficulty in procuring a single lamb for our
party.
While we were here a disturbance took place which had, at one
time, assumed rather an alarming appearance. Our camel-drivers
had allowed their beasts to stray over the cultivated grounds of the
neighbouring Arabs, who came to demand remuneration, or to
revenge themselves, in the event of not obtaining it, upon the
owners of the camels f : the latter, together with our Arab escort,
formed a tolerably strong party, and thinking themselves in a con-
dition to do so, did not hesitate to resist the demand ; a scuffle
accordingly took place, in which many blows were exchanged, bara-
* From Guadigmata, two ruius (Selma and Ipsllata) appear conspicuous on high and
pointed hills at the distance of about seven miles; they seem to have been watch-towers
commanding the plain ; but our guides could only tell us they were Gussers, a name
which they applied indiscriminately to ruins of every description.
t These were the camel-drivers themselves.
46
JOURNEY FROM
cans torn, and knives and pistols brought into action. The arrival
of Shekh Mahommed put an end to the fray before any serious con-
sequences had ensued, and he satisfied the assailants by reprimanding
the camel-drivers, and promising to make them keep their animals
within bounds. We were ignorant ourselves of the cause of the
disturbance, and seeing our party suddenly attacked, we naturally ran
to their assistance, which certainly would not have been the case had
we known they had been the aggressors. This made us more cau-
tious afterwards, as we found that our drivers took advantage of the
strength of the party to improve the condition of their camels.
The most conspicuous character in this disturbance was a trusty
black slave of our conductor the Dubbah, who appeared to have
inherited from his master the art of raising his voice above that of
every other person. Having had his pistols wrested from him, he
was so hurried away by the violence of his passion as to seem quite
unable to give it sulRcient vent ; and had just raised his knife to
plunge it into an Arab, when he was prevented by one of our party,
who presented a musket at him and deprived him of his weapon ;
for although he was fighting on our side, we were not of course de-
sirous that he should proceed to such unjustifiable extremes.
The remains of some strongly-built forts, of quadrangular forms,
occupying the heights which command the road, sufficiently point out
Sidy Abdellati as an ancient mihtary station ; and indeed, had we
found there no vestiges of antiquity, we should have been induced
from the nature of the ground to look for some indications of
fortification ; since the advantages of position, of soil, and of water.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
47
which it possesses, are too great to have been overlooked by the
ancients.
About the tomb of the Marabut which we have mentioned above,
there are frequent traces of building ; and the tomb itself is con-
structed with the fragments of more ancient structures ; while the
beach and its neighbourhood are strewed with a quantity of pottery
and glass. These ruins, although they now, with the exception
of the Marabut and the forts, consist only of loose stones and imper-
fect ground-plans, appear to be more indicative of the site of an
ancient town than those which we have mentioned at Guadigmata ;
and, if Graphara could be placed so near as twenty miles to Leptis
Magna, they might probably be considered as its remains. The
quadrangular forts which we have just mentioned as occupying
the heights of Sidy Abdell^ti, might in that case have belonged
to a station attached to the town ; and the port discovered by Cap-
tain Smyth at Abdellata (mentioned above) may then be taken as
the one intended by Scylax.
Without carrying the subject further, we may say, in conclusion,
that Sidy Abdellati has undoubtedly been a strong military station,
whatever pretensions it may have to be considered as the site of
Graphara.
After leaving this place, the road led us, through the valley of
Selin, to a tolerably wide stream called Negg4zi, which, winding
between the hills, gave an unusual interest to the view. We conti-
nued our route for a short time along its banks, and then ascended
the range of hills called Selem, which branches off from the Ter-
48
JOURNEY FROM
hoona * range and extends to the sea. From the top of Selem there
is an extensive view westward, over the plain of Jumarr, as far as the
sandy desert ; and on the eastern side of the ridge there is another
view, equally imposing, over the plain of Lebida ; so that in spite of
the torrents of rain which still continued to deluge us, we could not
help stopping occasionally to admire them.
1 rom the summit of this range we noticed several remains of what
appeared to be towers, conspicuously situated on the peaks of the
hills to the northward ; and which, from the strength of their posi-
tion, might have bid defiance to any attack that could be made upon
them : their situations appear to have been chosen with the intention
of their being easily distinguished one from another, so as to answer
the purpose of communication. The valleys of this range are capable
of the highest degree of cultivation, but their fertility has only been
partially taken advantage of by the Arabs of the neighbourhood.
In some of them we noticed vines and olive-trees flourishing most
luxuriantly between patches of ground producing corn and vegetables.
Descending on the eastern side of the range, the road lies along the
side of the mountain, and several ruins of forts and tombs are con-
spicuous on either side of it : here also are several remains of ancient
wells, and we noticed one, in particular, which had fragments of
marble columns lying near it. During the whole of this day the
road was so slippery, in consequence of the heavy rains, that our
camels could with difiiculty proceed : they were continually falling
The Terhoona range is a branch of the Gharian.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
49
under their burthens, and the alarm which their unsteady footing
occasioned them added greatly to the distress of their situation. In
the evening we pitched our tents in a valley about a mile from Mer-
gip tower, where we met the English Consul on his return from an
excursion to Lebida : he informed us of a report which was in cir-
culation at that place, of a troop of marauding Arabs being in wait
for our party two days south of Mesurata. This report was corro-
borated by Shekh Mahommed el Dubbah, who seemed inclined to
make it of some importance.
We suspected, from the Shekh’s manner, that he had himself
circulated this story to enhance the value of his protection ; and we
were determined in consequence not to appear to believe it. As we
did not however think it right to omit some precautions, in the
event of the report proving after all to be true, we requested the
Consul to mention it when he returned to the Bashaw ; who might
then take whatever measures he should judge to be necessary on the
occasion.
H
50
JOURNEY FROM
CHAPTER IV.
Arrival at Lebida — Remarks on its position and resources as compared with those of Tripoly
— Short account of the city and its I'emains — Allusion to the African tribe Levatae (or
Levata) by Procopius — The same tribe mentioned by Leo Africanus — Suggestions of Major
Rennell on the resemblance between the terms Levata and Lybia — Former position of this
tribe near the coast confirmed by Procopius — Remarks on the term Libya — Visit from the
Shekh of Lebida — Violent storm at that place retards the advance of the party — Intrusion
upon the premises of a celebrated Mardbut — Dangerous consequences of this intrusion pre-
dicted by our escort — Departure from Lebida — Remains of the aqueduct, and of the cause-
way mentioned by Strabo — Arrive at the River Cinyphus,now Wad’el Khdhan — Remarks on
the river and the morass in its immediate neighbourhood — Observations on the faulty position
of the Cinyphus in the maps of Cellarius — This position probably suggested by some remarks
of Pliny, Ptolemy, and Mela — Extreme fertility of the region of the Cinyphus— Remarks on
this district, and that of Byzacium — Suggestions of Signor Della Celia with respect to them —
Present appearance of the region of the Cinyphus consistent with the description of Hero-
dotus— Neglected condition of the district under the Arabs — Account of Lebida and its
remains by Captain Smyth.
On the following morning we continued our journey to Lebida, the
weather being still very bad. The road from Selem to Lebida leads
close along the foot of Mergip-hill, on the summit of which
are the ruins of a tower of considerable height, which may be
seen from a great distance : at the foot of the hill are the remains
of several tombs, but none of those which we saw appeared to be in
good style.
On emerging from the valley of Selem a fertile tract of high
ground presents itself, which lies between the valley and Lebida ;
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
51
clusters of olive-trees are scattered over its surface, and contribute
with the green turf on which they are planted to give it a very
pleasing appearance. From the summit of this appears the whole
plain of Lebida, stretching down, in a gentle slope, from the high
groimd to the sea ; and a more beautiful scene can scarcely be wit-
nessed than that which is presented by this fine tract of country.
Thick groves of olive and date-trees are seen rising above the vil-
lages which are scattered over its surface ; and the intermediate
spaces are either covered with the most luxuriant turf, or rich with
abundant crops of grain.
It must always afford matter for surprise to those who are
acquainted with this beautiful and highly-productive country, hov^
Tripoly could ever have been selected, in preference to Lebida, as
the metropolis of the regency. Placed in the midst of sand, on the
borders of an extensive desert, and situated almost at the extre-
mity of the country in which it stands, Tripoly appears to enjoy
scarcely any particular local advantage beyond the possession of its
port; while Lebida seems to unite in one beautiful spot all the
advantages of plenty, convenience, and security. It is probable
that the harbour and strong walls of Tripoly were the principal
causes of its adoption as the capital ; and the sums of money which
would be necessary to rebuild and fortify Lebida, might have been
considered as more than equivalent to its local recommendations, by
a people who seldom look beyond the present.
But Lebida, once occupied, would be a much stronger post
than Tripoly could ever be made ; and the good sense of the
52
JOURNEY FROM
ancients was conspicuously manifested in its selection as a principal
town.
The city of Leptis Magna appears to have been comprehended
within little more than a square half mile of ground. It was situ-
ated close to the sea, on the banks of a ravine now called Wady
Lebda, which might probably in the rainy season have assumed the
appearance of a river. When we passed through the place it was,
however, nothing more than a small stream, although too deep
in some parts to be easily forded; and it is probably dry, or
nearly so, in the summer. The inadequacy of this supply to the
consumption of the city may be inferred from the remains of an
aqueduct communicating with the Cinyphus, still existing, in uncon-
nected portions, in the space between the town and that river. At
the back of the town are several large mounds of earth, thrown up
in the form of banks ; which are supposed to have been raised for
the purpose of turning off the water which might occasionally have
threatened it from the hiUs, and which the slope of the ground from
the hills to the sea may possibly have rendered very necessary *.
The quantity of alluvial soil brought down the Wady above men-
tioned by the winter torrents, have, together with the accumulation
of sand from the beach, nearly effaced all traces of the port and
cothon of Leptis Magna, which does not indeed appear to have been
at any time very capacious. The actual remains of the city are still
* This is the opinion of Captain Smyth, who examined the remains of Leptis Magna
with attention (in the year 1817) ; who has obligingly favoured us with the plans and
account of it which are given at the end of the chapter.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
53
sufficient to be somewhat imposing ; but they are for the most part
so deeply buried under the sand which ten centuries of neglect have
allowed to accumulate about them, that plans of them could not be
obtained without very extensive excavations. The style of the
buildings is universally Koman ; and they are more remarkable for
the regularity and solidity of their construction, than for any great
appearance of good taste employed in their embellishment.
A great part of the city has been constructed with brick ; and the
material which has been used in the instances here alluded to
maintains remarkably well the high character which Homan brick
has so deservedly acquired. The remains of the stadium are perhaps
the most interesting, in speaking of the buildings which have been
constructed with stone ; they have been partially excavated by Cap-
tain Smyth, (to whose account we refer the reader) together with
some other buildings ; but the task of clearing them entirely would
be too Herculean for limited means, and the same may be observed
with respect to other parts of Leptis Magna in general.
For our own part, however much we might have been inclined to
remain some time at Lebida, the necessity of our immediate advance
precluded the possibihty of doing so ; for the approach of the rainy
season made it absolutely necessary that we should cross the low
grounds of the Syrtis without delay : and it must be remembered
that the coast-hne of the Syrtis and Cyrenaica was the principal
object of the Expedition.
Leptis Magna was built at an early period by the Phoenicians, and
was ranked, after Carthage and Utica, as the first of their maritime
54
JOURNEY FROM
cities. After the destruction of Carthage it flourished under the
government of the Romans, and was remarkable, as we are informed
by Sallust, for its fidelity and obedience
After the occupation of Northern Africa by the Vandals, the
walls and fortifications of Leptis appear to have been dismantled
or destroyed f : they were probably afterwards restored under Justi-
nian, when the city became the residence of the Prefect Sergius ; and
we find them, on the authority of Leo Africanus, to have been finally
demohshed by the Saracens
F rom that time the city appears to have been wholly abandoned ;
and its remains were employed in the construction of Modern Tri-
poly, as Leo has also informed us.
During the Prefecture of Sergius, who presided over the district
of Tripolis §, Leptis Magna was attacked by a neighbouring African
tribe ; and Sergius himself, after some previous successes, was reduced
* Nam Leptitani jam inde a principio belli Jugurthini ad Bestiam Consulem et
postea Romam miserant, amicitiam, societatemque rogatum. Dein, ubi ea impetrata
fuere semper boni, fideiesque mansere ; et cuncta a Bestia, Albino, Metelloque imperata
gnavitur fecerant. — (Bell. Jugurth. § 77.)
•f- At Gizerichus alia moliri non desiit. Nam, prseter Carthaginem, Africae urbes
nudavit omnes. . . — (Procop. Hist. Vandal, a Grotio, Lib. 1. p. 17.
f Questa citta (Leptis M.) fu edificata da Romani con mura alte di pietre grosse: la
quale fu due volte rovinata da Macomettani, e delle sue pietre e colonne fu edificata
Tripoli. — (5ta. parte, p. 72.)
Leo here alludes to the restoration of the city, and not to its first erection by the
Phoenicians.
§ Bacchi (Solomonis frater erat) filios duos regendis Africae partibus misit Imperator;
Pentapoli Cyrum, natu majorem, Tripoli Sergium. — (Procopius, Hist. Vandal, Lib. 2.
p. 119.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
55
to seek shelter within the walls of the city, to which alone he
appears to have been indebted for safety. A party of Moors, of
the tribe called Levatce, had encamped under the walls of Leptis, to
receive from the governor the reward of past fidelity, and the bribe
for their future good conduct. Eighty of their deputies were
accordingly introduced into the town, and admitted to a conference
with the Prefect. On the statement of certain grievances of which
they complained Sergius rose to leave the tribunal ; but one of the
suppliants detained him by the robe, while the rest of the deputies
pressed nearer to his person and urged their demands in louder
terms. Provoked at this insolence, an officer of the Prefect drew
his sword and plunged it into the Moor, and the death of this impru-
dent offender became the signal for a general massacre. One only
of the Levatae escaped from the city to bear the melancholy news of
the slaughter of his companions to the rest of the tribe without the
walls. They instantly took up arms and invested the city ; and
though at first repulsed with great loss by a sally of the Komans,
they shortly after succeeded in defeating the Prefect ; and his gene-
ral Pudentius, having incautiously exposed himself, was cut off and
slain in the field. Sergius retired with the remainder of his army
upon the city, and shut himself up within its walls ; but as he was
incapable of continuing the contest with advantage, he finally with-
drew to Carthage, in order to claim the assistance of his uncle, and
induce him to march his army against the Moors *. The result of
* Solomon, the uncle of Sergius, was intrusted with the command of the army by
Belisarius, when that general left the African coast, and governed with the title of
56
JOURNEY FROM
the engagement which afterwards took place was fatal to the cause
of the Romans ; for Solomon, who had so ably filled the place of
Belisarius, was slain in the field of Tebeste*, and the Prefect was
once more compelled to seek safety in flight -}• .
The tribe Levatae, mentioned in the ISTarrative of Procopius, of
which we have just given the substance, has in later times been
Exarch. After his death at Tebeste, Sergius was appointed by the Emperor Justinian
to succeed him, and rendered himself odious by his profligacy and cruelties. — r(See Pro-
copius, Hist. Vandal., Lib. 2.)
* Now Tibesh, in the kingdom of Algiers.
F Such is the substance of this affair as related by Procopius; and we may add, in
the words of the eloquent Gibbon, “ The arrival of fresh troops, and more skilful com-
manders, soon checked the insolence of the Moors: seventeen of their princes were slain
in the same battle ; and the doubtful and transient submission of their tribes was cele-
brated with lavish applause by the people of Constantinople. Successive ini'oads had
reduced the province of Africa to one-third of the measure of Italy ; yet the Roman
emperors continued to reign above a century over Carthage, and the fruitful coast of
the Mediterranean.” The state of Northern Africa, at this period of the empire, is
strongly painted in the observations which follow.
“But the victories and the losses of Justinian were alike pernicious to mankind ; and
such was the desolation of Africa, that in many parts a stranger might wander whole
days without meeting the face either of a friend or an enemy. The nation of the Vandals
had disappeared ; they once amounted to an hundred and sixty thousand warriors, with-
out including the children, the women, or the slaves. Their numbers wei'e Infinitely
surpassed by the number of the Moorish families extirpated in a relentless war , and
the same destruction was retaliated on the Romans and their allies, who perished by the
climate, their mutual quarrels, and the rage of the barbarians. When Procopius first
landed, he admired the populousness of the cities and counWy, strenuously exei’cised in
the labours of commei'ce and agriculture. In less than twenty years, that busy scene was
converted into a silent solitude ; the wealthy citizens escaped to Sicily and Constanti-
nople ; and the secret historian has confidently affirmed, that five millions of Africans
were consumed by the wars and government of the Emperor Justmlan^
a Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. vii. p. 353.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
57
been noticed by Leo Africanus, and said to have inhabited that part
of the desert of Libya which lies between Angela and the Nile *.
The same author adds that they are of an African race ; and we may
further remark, with respect to this tribe, that the appellation
of Levatm, by which it was distinguished, has been supposed b3^
Major Eennell (in his illustrations of Herodotus) to have given birth
to the Grecian term Libya f.
It will be observed that the suggestion of the ingenious author
quoted below, with respect to the retreat of the Levatae into the
interior, is confirmed by the account of Procopius ; who tells us that
“ the Moors, called Levatae, dwelt in the neighbourhood of Leptis
Magna :}: and we have seen that they were found in the time of Leo
Africanus to have inhabited the parts between Angela and the Nile.
lYith regard to the derivation of the term Libya, suggested by
Major Eennell, we may remark that Herodotus has himself derived
* II resto de’ diserti di Libia, cio e di Angela fino al Nilo, e habitato d’Arabi et da un
popolo detto Levata, che e pure Africano, . . . . — (5““ parte, p. 72.)
t “ The desert which separates Egypt from Lybia” (it is Major Rennell who speaks)
“ is to be regarded as the proper desert of Lybia: and it maybe a question whether
the tribe of Levata, although now found in the interior of the country, may not have ori-
ginally inhabited the sea-coast ; and that the Greeks denominated Africa (Libya) from
them. This was the part of Africa the nearest to Greece, and the first colonised by the
Greeks 5 and it is a knoyvn fact, that the Adyrmachidse and Nasamones, who in the days
of Herodotus, inhabited the coast, were at a succeeding period, found in the inland parts
about Ammon and Angela. Mr. Park saw a wandering tribe named Lubey, whom he
compares, in respect to their habits and mode of life, to gipsies®.”
f Tunc Mauri, Levata appellati, Leptim Magnam (neque enim longe absunt) cum
exercitu venere, &c. — (Hist. Vandal, ut supra.)
» Illustrations of Herodotus, (p. 409.)
1
58
JOURNEY FROM
it from the name of a female native of Africa bearing the same
appellation * ; and it is probable that had there been any other tra-
dition existing in his time on the subject, it would have been men-
tioned with that which he has recorded. The several tribes which
in his sera inhabited the northern coast of Africa have also been
enumerated by Herodotus ; and no mention is made among these
of any race of people called Levatse. It is evident also that his
knowledge of Africa was not confined to recent occurrences or to
the actual state of the country in his own time ; for he has given
us very clear and minute details of events which took place several
centuries before that period, among which may be instanced the
account which he has transmitted of the first occupation of the
country by the Greeks, described in the F ourth Book of his Geogra-
phy, and alluded to in the passage above quoted from Major
RennelL
We may observe, on the ground of these objections, that, if the
derivation suggested be actually correct, it must, in all probability,
have taken place long before the period of Herodotus ; but there is
* yac^ A.iCvv poEv sin Ksysrmt vtco toiv tcoKKoih ExXtivcuv £X,siv yvtia.i'x.os
a-vrox^ovos. (Melp. § ptE.) It may be at the same time remai’ked, that some writers
liave derived the term Libya from the Arabic word (Lub) which signifies thirst,
and might therefore be without impi’opriety applied to a dry and sultry region. We
may add that KOh (Libya) is the Phoenician, or Hebrew term for a lioness; and Libya
is emphatically the country of lions — the “ leonum arida nutrix.” DUih (Lubim) is the
term used for Libyans in holy writ, and the common burthen of Nubian songs at the
present day is — o-sl, o-eh, to Lubato — of which we could never gain any other translation
from the natives, than that it applied to their own country. Lubato was occasionally pro-
nounced clearly Nilbato, and it was sometimes impossible to tell which of the two
pronunciations was intended.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
59
at the same time no positive proof on their authority that it may
not have been possibly the true one.
On the morning after our arrival at Lebida the Shekh of the place
came to pay us a visit, and to offer his assistance in procuring us coins
and gems, which are constantly found among the ruins by the Jews,
who pay a consideration to the Bashaw for the exclusive enjoyment
of this privilege. The offer of our new' friend was readily accepted,
and he himself very cordially entertained by his brother Shekh,
Mahommed el Dubbah ; but, his supper being eaten, we never heard
more of him or of the antiquities which he professed to procure
for us.
The effects of a heavy storm, which had occurred on the preceding
night, obliged us to remain at Lebida the whole of this day, in order
to dry our provisions and clothes ; for we had no sooner pitched the
tents, on the evening of our arrival, than we were overtaken by a
violent storm of thunder and lightning, accompanied by continued
gusts of wind, which kept us employed during the greater part of
the night in attending to the tent-pegs.
In the mean time, the rain never ceased to fall in torrents, and
soon made its way, impelled by the force of the wind, through every
part of a good substantial canvass ; one of our tents was completely
upset, and the whole of our party, with the better half of the bag-
gage, were wet through long before the dawn of day. Towards
morning, however, the storm died away, and the first appearance of
the sun, in a tolerably clear sky, was in truth a most comfortable
prospect. As it promised to be fine for the rest of the day, we
60
JOURNEY FROM
soon spread out our baggage to dry, and gladly availed ourselves of
the delay this operation occasioned to walk over the ruins of the
town.
Our camel-drivers, however, who had been hired by the journey,
were not so well satisfied with this detention, and were urgent in
persuading us to advance : but a trifling bakshees * soon quieted
their remonstrances, and they made up their minds very contentedly
to the arrangement. We now began to measure a short base by
latitudes, in order to fix a few points with more accuracy ; and it
was necessary to make use of the summit of a neighbouring hill for
one extremity of the base. This spot was the place of residence of
a most devout and highly-reverenced Marabut, the admiration and
the terror of the people of Lebida ; and as we were proceeding to
ascend the hill, our steps were arrested by the voice of the Tchaous
whom the Bashaw had commissioned to attend us. As soon as he
came up, he began very gravely to assure us, that the holy enthu-
siast would by no means allow us to encroach upon his domains with
impunity ; and proceeded to state that he would most certainly kill
every person of our party who should dare to ascend, and afterwards
sacrifice him (the Tchaous) himself, for having allowed us to intrude
upon his retirement. It may be imagined that none of us had any
particular wish to offend the holy personage in question ; but the
hill which he occupied was unluckily the most convenient which
could be selected for our purpose ; and we did not think it quite
* Bakshees, or Baksheesh, is the Arab term for a gratuity or pecuniary consideration.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
61
necessary to give up our base on the grounds of so ridiculous an
objection. The attempt was accordingly made, and the base pro-
perly measured, without either of the dreadful results which had
been anticipated ; and the parties, on descending, received the
serious congratulations of the Arabs on having had, what they called,
so unexpected and providential an escape.
This formidable personage is the Marabut mentioned by Della
Celia as having threatened to eat him alive ; and the Doctor was
assured, by a black slave who stood near him, that he was perfectly
capable of fulfilling his extraordinary threat *.
So much has been written on the subject of these knavish fanatics,
that we shall not here attempt any description of them : every book
of travels in Mahometan countries contains more or less notice of the
wondrous feats which are attributed to them, and of the no less
remarkable creduhty of those- whom they impose uponf. We may,
however, observe that the country between Lebida and Mesurata,
and more especially the neighbourhood of the last-mentioned place,
is much infested by these artful and unblushing pretenders to piety
and supernatural powers.
* II mio abito Europeo attiro subito lo sguardo del Marabotto, il quale fattosi inanzi,
con aria truce, accompagno il suo gesto minaccioso con parole ch’ io non intesi : ma un
Nero che aveva accanto, avendole fedelmente tradutte, portavano ch’ egli voleva man-
giarmi vivo. Il traduttore aggiungeva che il Marabotto ne era capace, perche questo
complimento era stato talvolta fatto da questa gente a qualche Ebreo ! — (Viaggio da
Tripoli, &c., p. 45).
•f In the work of Capt. Lyon, in particular, a good deal of curious matter connected
with Marabuts will be found.
62
JOURNEY FROM
On the morning of the 15 th we left the ruins of Lebida, and
passing between the gardens which are scattered over its plain, pro-
ceeded on our road to Zeliten. About nine miles to the eastward
of Lebida is the stream called Wad’ el Khahan, which we found to
possess more pretensions to the title of river than any which we
had hitherto seen. It appears to have its rise in the mountains to
the southward ; and after spreading itself in shallows over a rocky
bed, it falls about twenty feet, and continues its course, though very
slowly, to the sea. The banks of Wad’ el Khirhan are in some places
high, sloping down to the water’s edge, and are covered with under-
wood, among which a few trees may occasionally be observed to rise.
The verdure of its banks give it an agreeable appearance, and some
remains of building, which are seen here and there through the soil,
contribute to increase the interest of the stream.
By the side of the road, at about a mile and a half from where
the river empties into the sea, are the remains of the aqueduct men-
tioned above, which supphed the city of Lebida ; and other traces
of building are occasionally observable in its neighbourhood. Here
also may still be observed the same morasses which formerly charac-
terized this spot, and gave occasion for the construction of the
causeway, still existing, which is mentioned by Strabo as having been
built by the Carthaginians*. All these circumstances contribute to
* S' sTi 7roTm.fx.os K.iw(pos' xmi fxsrm rmvrm Simrsiy^iafxm ri o eiroi’tioorv yt(pv-
§avrsf ^aqm6pa rnm sis rni/ avsy(pvra. — (Lib. 17. ^ 18.)
It must not be forgotten that the geographer is passing from west to east ; and we find
the remains of the building alluded to above, occurring immediately after the river, in
travelling in this direction ; which answers exactly to the position of Strabo’s causeway.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
63
point out Wad’ el Kh'khan as the Cinyphus, and as such we may
reasonably consider it.
The morass is extremely dangerous to cross without a guide, and
two of our party, who were unprovided with one, experienced much
difficulty in crossing a small quicksand situated between the marsh
and the sea. There is another part of this quicksand, more to the east-
ward, which it was wholly impossible to cross; our horses, in attempt-
ing it, sank up to the saddle-girths, and the severity of the Arab
spur alone prevented them from sinking much deeper. We may
add that the exhalations which rise from the marsh appear to be
very unwholesome, for one of our Arab escort, who slept a short
time by the side of it, while we were making some observations, was
shortly afterwards seized with violent cold shiverings, and every
symptom of fever.
At the north-eastern extremity of the morass is the promontory
called Tabia Point, on which we found the ruins of what appears to
have been a tomb, and at the distance of about a quarter of a mile from
the shore may be observed a reef of rocks, which will occasionally
afford shelter for boats; the part thus protected is called by the
Arabs Marsa Ugrah, from its vicinity to the village of that name.
These rocks were above water when visited by Captain Smyth in
1817 ; but, in consequence, probably, of the prevalence of northerly
gales, they were covered when we passed along the coast, and cannot
therefore at all times be depended upon for protection.
In considering Wad’ el Kh4han as the Cinyphus, which its posi-
tion with regard to Lebida, and the appearances already pointed
64
JOURNEY FROM
out, will very decidedly authorize us to do, one difficulty will be
found to arise. It is the impossibility of reconciling the distance
from the sea, of the nearest range of hiUs to the southward, with
that assigned by Herodotus to the Hill of the Graces, in which he
affirms the Cinyphus to have its source.
The Hill of the Graces is laid down by this geographer at 200
stadia from the sea * ; whereas the distance of the nearest range of
hills, to the southward of Wad’ el Khahan, is little more than four
English miles from the coast ; and we could perceive in this range
no aperture or break through which we might imagine that a stream
could have passed in its course from the southward to the sea. We
should certainly infer, from the appearance of this chain, that the
river must have had its source in it ; and one of the hills of which
it is composed does certainly present an appearance of three peaks,
as we may imagine the Hill of the Graces did ; but then we must
suppose that some mistake has been made, either by Herodotus
himself, or by his editors, in the number of stades above mentioned ;
and, although it is possible that such an error might have occurred,
we have no greater right to dispute the passage in question, than we
have to challenge the accuracy of any other statement which is
received on the authority of the geographer. We mean, with refer-
ence tc|the text itself, exclusive of local information ; for the pas-
sage is simply and clearly stated, without the least appearance of
* Aia Se avrm (Macarum) Kivz/4' iroracfAOs, ^euv ex xscXiv/xei/b Xse^iTwv, sr daXa/raav
exSiSoi. 0 Se Xoipoy ouTos o XagiTO/v Soktus' iSvci es"*, soiKjris rns ocWns t»k jtqoxaraXiyfisia'ns
AiQvris ccTTo SaXaaaw Se es- ocvroy faJioi Sinxoaiot e«7i. (Melp. §oe.)
TRTPOLY TO BENGAZI.
65
ambiguity ; and the habit of doubting every statement of an
author which does not coincide with our own ideas and obser-
vations, is scarcely to be indulged without danger to the cause of
truth.
We had determined on our return (among other things which we
had no time to examine minutely in advancing) to trace the river
Kh^han to its source, and thus decide the point beyond dispute ;
but unforeseen circumstances prevented our returning by way of
Tripoly, and the promised examination never took place. We will
not therefore venture decidedly to assert that this stream does not
rise to the southward of the chain of hills above mentioned ; but we
should certainly be surprised (from the view which we had of this
range in passing) to learn hereafter that it had been proved, by local
’ observation, to have its source in the mountains farther inland. We
may observe, at the same time, that the distance of the Terhoona *
range from the coast, as it is laid down by Captain Lyon, will answer
tolerably well to that of the 200 stadia at which Herodotus has
placed his Hill of the Graces from the sea ; taking the stade of this
geographer at 732 to a degree, or 10 1 to a common English mile,
which is the mean allowed by Major Eennell to the stade of Hero-
dotus. There are, however, several other inferior chains of hills
(besides the one nearest to the coast) between the Terhoona range
and the sea ; and we scarcely think it possible that the Cinyphus
* The Terhoona range is a branch of the Gharian, and may be reckoned, in the part
opposite Lebida, to be about eighteen geographical miles from the sea, on the authority
of Capt. Lyon’s chart.
K
*
66
JOURNEY FROM
(or Khahan) could have found its way through these impedi-
ments
In the chart of Cellarius, as Dr. Della Celia has truly observed, we
find the Cinyphus placed to the eastward of the Cephalas Promon-
torium, in opposition to the testimonies of Strabo and Ptolemy, and
of most other writers of respectability. But it is merely with a
view to reconcile contending authorities that this position has been
assigned to the river ; for it will be evident, by a reference to the
text of Cellarius, that it is not the one adopted by himself f . It
may be possible, also, (in addition to the authorities of the Itinerary
and the Augustan table which he mentions) that Cellarius has been
induced to place his Cinyphus thus far to the eastward, in conse-
quence of a passage in Pliny, and of a remark which he has also
quoted from Ptolemy. Pliny fixes the country of the Lotophagi
in the most southern recess of the Greater Syrtis, and Ptolemy
observes of these people, that they inhabited the neighbourhood ot
the Cinyphus p It becomes necessary, therefore, in order to recon-
cile these statements, either to place the Cinyphus nearer to the
centre of the Gulf, or to move the Lotophagi nearer to the Cinyphus.
* It will be seen from the account of Lebida annexed, with which we have lately been
favoured by Capt. Smyth, that the river actually takes its rise in the low range of hills
above mentioned, situated between four and five miles from the coast ; so that the dis-
tance of Herodotus is much too great.
f See Lib. 4. Cap. 3.
+ In intimo sinu fuit ora Lotophagon, quos quidam Alachroos dixere, ad Philaenorum
aras. — (Hist. Nat. Lib. v. c. 4.)
The words of Ptolemy are — IlEgi avrov tov ‘kotoci/.w (Kivt/(pov) Aoro(payoi.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
67
Mela places the Lotophagi still further to the eastward than Phny,
for he tells us that they are said to inhabit the country between the
Promontories of Borion and Phycus, which are both of them in the
Cyrenaica * ; and this statement may be considered as an additional
reason for moving the Cinyphus to the eastward of its actual position,
if the observation of Ptolemy in question be attended to. It is cer-
tain, however, that the position of the Cinyphus, on the authorities
of Strabo, Ptolemy, and Scylax, is to the westward of the Cephalas
Promontorium ; Pliny places it in the country between the two
Syrtes, and Mela to the westward of Leptis Magna f : there is
therefore no sufficient authority for moving the river to the eastward
of the Cephalas ; although it must be confessed that the position of
the Lotophagi, in the neighbourhood of the river Cinyphus, is cer-
tainly very clear and decided.
We may observe, with regard to these eaters of the lotus, that
they have been so very differently placed by different authorities,
that it is scarcely possible to say in what part of the map they may,
or may not, be laid down ; and this circumstance will serve to prove
how widely the lotus-tree must have been spread, at various times,
over the coast and country of Northern Africa.
* Ejus promontorium est Borion, ab eoque incipiens ora quam Lotophagi tenuisse di-
cuntur, usque ad Phycunta. — (Lib. i. c. 7.)
t Sed litore inter duas Syrtis ccl. M. P. Ibi civitas Oeensis, Cynips fluvius ac regio
.... (Hist. Nat. Lib. v. c. 5.)
After mentioning the Lesser Syrtis, Mela observes — Ultra est Oea oppidum, et Cinyps
fluvius per uberrima arva decidens : turn Leptis altera, et Syrtis nomine atque ingenio
par priori .... — (De Situ Orbis, Lib. 1. c. 7.)
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JOURNEY FROM
The region of the Cinyphus has been celebrated for its extraordi-
nary fertility ; Herodotus asserts that it yielded three hundred for
one, and other writers have concurred in extolling the richness of
its soil *. It is remarkable, however, that some authors who have
highly commended the soil of the Byzacium, have, at the same time,
omitted to notice the fertility of the region of the Cinyphus ; while
others, on the contrary, who have recorded the extraordinary pro-
duce of the district last mentioned, have failed to make any allusion
to the productive qualities of the Byzacium. This circumstance has
induced Dr. Della Celia to imagine that some of the writers in
question intended to include both these districts in one ; and in
support of this idea he cites passages from Pliny and Strabo, which
appear to him decisive in its favour. Pliny says (it is Dr. Della
Celia who speaks) that “ the people who inhabit the Byzacium are
called Libyphoenices '|- it is therefore only necessary to ascertain
in what country the Libyphoenices dwelt, to determine the position
r*
of the Byzacium ij:. And here, continues the Doctor, is a very clear
reply of Strabo to this desideratum of ancient geography — “ Upon
* A'/ad'n Ss yn Kizl rm Et/EffWEgiTai vEpiovTai’ Ew’Exarora <yag tTnav a.v% suijrvis eueixv
£x(pE§Er •h Se ev rt] Kivt/9n e'S'i rqt’nnoma.. (Melp. g 67J.)
Scylax calls the region of the Cinyphus y^aipiov xaXov — and Mela describes the river —
per uberrima arva decidens. Other authorities may be added to these in support of the
fertility of the district.
Libyphoenices vocantur qui Byzacium incolunt.
I Plinio dice Libyphoenices vocantur qui Byzacium incolunt. Si tratta dunque di
sapere dove abitavono i Libifenicii per sapere il sito della regione Bizacina. Ed eccole
una chiarissima risposta di Strabone a questo quesito di antica geografia : Sulla marina
che e da Cartagine fino al Cefalo, e fino ai Masselibii e il territorio dei Libifenicii. —
(Viaggio da Tripoli, &c. p. 48.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
69
the sea-coast, extending from Carthage to the Cephalas Promon-
tori um, and to the Masselibii'*, is the territory of the Libyphoe-
nices.”
But it will scarcely, we imagine, be thought absolutely necessary
to conclude, that, because Byzacium may have formed a part of the
territory of the Libyphoenices, the whole of the country inhabited by
these people must therefore be called Byzacium ; for Strabo himself
has informed us that the Byzacians extended only to the eastern
hmits of Carthage (that is, of Carthage Proper, or Zeugitana) ; whereas
the tract which he has assigned to the Libyphoenices generally, com-
prehended the whole of the Carthagenian territory, from the Cephalas
Promontorium to the country of the Massaesyli. The Massmsyli
were a people of Numidia, and their district formed the western
boundary of that country and Mauretania ; so that between them
and the Byzacians (whom we may, surely, conclude to be the inha-
bitants of the country from which their name is derived) the whole
of Numidia and Carthage Proper intervenes. The Libyphoenices
appear to have been the descendants of the Phoenicians (or Car-
thaginians) and of the several native African, or Libyan, tribes in
* The Masssesyli seem here to be intended by Signor Della Celia, as will appear from
the passage in question.
'TmpKsirai Sb T»jy a<jro K«gx»)Sovor wagaXias-, KefpctXiwv xai rvf MaffffocimXim, ^
TWV Aifo^oiviJt&iv 7»), /A6X?‘ TaivTcuTuXm ogsivTir, yiSs Ai<^vKns ovans. (Lib. 17. § 19.)
The passage which follows from the Second Book of Strabo, fixes the limits which he
has assigned to the country of the Byzacii.
raurris, xai run Si/gTEWv, xai Nao’a;//.&/vfl:s', xai rt»v rairaXcwv Tivas’ siroc
Sivrar, xal ^u^ccmus, r»!r Kapxv^oviaf . . .(Lib. 2. p. 131.)
70
JOURNEY FROM
their neighbourhood ; so that Byzacium would naturally be peopled
by them to a considerable extent, without its being necessary to infer
from that circumstance that all Libyphoenices were Byzacians.
We may add that Strabo does not seem to be aware of any fertility
in the soil of the Byzacium ; for he continues to state (after the pas-
sage above quoted from the Second Book of his Geography) that all
the country between Carthage and the columns of Hercules is fertile
— not including, of course, either the Byzacium, or the region of the
Cinyphus
The extent of the territory which is supposed by Signor Della
CeUa to have been included in the province of Byzacium, that is,
(as we have stated above) from the country of the Massaesyli, on
the western side, to the Cephalas Promontorium on the east, would
occupy a coast-line of no less than 700 miles, exclusive of its
limits in a southerly direction; and it wiU more readily be seen
how much this extent differs, from that of the actual Byzacium,
by comparing it with the dimensions which Phny has given of the
country, in the passage which Signor Della Celia has partially quoted
above f. We shall there find that the district of Byzacium was
comprehended within a circuit of no more than 250 Roman miles ;
so that it is difficult to imagine how Pliny could have intended to
extend its limits, either eastward or westward, to the points which
the Doctor has claimed for it: since the historian’s intentions
*' riaiot S 71 a/no Kag5^»iSovor fnXuv Efiv EySaii/xwv.
t Libyphoenices vocantur qui Byzacium incolunt. Ita appellatur regio ccl. M. P.
circuitu, fertilitatis eximiae, &c. — (Nat. Hist. Lib. v. c. 4.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
71
must have been sadly at variance with his assertions, had he really
meant to bestow upon Byzacium so much more than he has stated
it to contain
The region of the Cinyphus has still the same peculiarities which
it has been stated to possess by Herodotus ; there we still find the
rich and dark-coloured soil, and the abundance of water which he
mentions : but every thing degenerates in the hand of the Arab,
and the produce of the present day bears no proportion to that
which the historian- has recorded. The average rate of produce of
this fine tract of country (so far, at least, as we could learn from the
Arabs who inhabit it) is now scarcely more than ten for one ; and
the lands in the neighbourhood of Zeliten and Mesurata are the
only places cultivated to the eastward of the Cinyphus. The pro-
duce, in grain, is principally barley, with a moderate proportion only
of wheat ; but the date-tree and the ohve are very generally distri-
buted, and their crops are extremely abundant. We were informed
that there was usually a considerable overplus of dates, olive-oil, and
barley, both at Mesurata and Zehten ; and that the Arabs of the
western parts of the Syrtis draw their principal supphes from the
former of these places.
The country to the west of the Cinyphus is, to all appearance,
* The interpx-etation which follows (in this part of Signor Della Celia’s work) of a
passage which he has quoted from Scylax, and the adoption which he there proposes of
the word itoraf/^s instead of woXir, do not seem to rest, we fear, on any better foundation.
(See Viaggio da Tripoli, &c., p. 48 — 9.)
The concluding words sri Se sgn/xof, rather appear to relate to the desert tract between
Lebida and Tagiura, than to the country in the neighbourhood of the Cinyphus.
72
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equally productive (we should rather say equally capable of being
made so) with that which we have mentioned to the eastward. A
small part of this only, however, is cultivated, and we may observe
generally, of the region of the Cinyphus, that by far the greater
portion of that beautiful tract of country, from the eastern limit of
the Syrtis at Mesurata, to the edge of the sandy desert at Wad’m’-
Seid, is now left in its natural state.
The following short account of the objects most worthy of notice
which presented themselves to Captain Smyth in the course of his
journey to Lebida in the year 1816, and the succeeding one, have
been extracted from his private journal, and obligingly placed at our
disposal by the author ; and as we think they will not be unaccept-
able to our readers, we submit them, without further comment, to
their notice.
The first principal point to the eastward of Tripoly is Ras al Amra,
a projecting low sand, with rocks close in, but possessing a small
boat-cove on its east side, resembling an ancient cothon : near it are
the ruins of several baths with tesselated pavements.
Beyond Ras al Amra there is another small port, formed by a point
of land between the wadies of Ben z barra and Abdellata, whence
the produce of the country is shipped off in summer. The mouth
of the Abdellata forms a picturesque cove, and on its left bank, a
little inland, is a village consisting of troglodytic caverns, excavated
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
73
in the sandstone rock, and many of which being furnished with
doors, are used, instead of the usual matamores, as granaries.
Here begins the tract generally called Zibbi, and the land, rising
gradually, exhibits a better, though still neglected, appearance, being
thinly planted with olive-trees, and here and there a vineyard.
In the vicinity of the Ganema river frequent vestiges of antiquity
announce the approach to a place once more prosperous ; and in the
valley of Seyd-n-alli are the remains of some Koman fortifications,
called by the Moors, the Seven Towers, which from several local
indications I think must stand on the site of Quintiliana.
Leptis Magna is situated on a fine level district, of a light and
loamy soil, bounded by gentle hills. A great part of this plain is
laid out in fields of corn, pulse, carrots, cf*c., interspersed with groves
of olive, pomegranate, and date-trees, among which are a few vine-
yards ; but it is by no means cultivated with the attention due to its
susceptibility of improvement ; and a great portion of the produce
is annually destroyed by the gundy rat, and a species of jerboa,
(probably the ^imug represented on the Cyrenian coins) which
greatly infest all the grounds, yet no means are used to destroy
them. The want of enclosures is also greatly felt, the young
shoots of the seed being protected from the wind only by thinly-
planted rows of the Scilla Maritima : however, notwithstanding every
disadvantage, the harvests are generally satisfactory to the moderate
expectations of these rude peasants.
Towards the higher grounds there is a good deal of pasturage,
where camels, horses, oxen, sheep, and goats are reared ; but the
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74
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destructive method of the Arabs in impoverishing the land around
their dowars, till it becomes exhausted, without any attempt to nou-
rish or assist the soil, is everywhere visible, by the many bare spots
whence the tents have been shifted to more fertile situations, which
for the same reason soon become, in their turn, deserted also.
I first visited Leptis in May, 1816, to examine into the possibihty
of embarking the numerous columns lying on its sands, which
the Bashaw of Tripoly had offered to His Majesty. The ruins
had a very interesting appearance, from the contrast of their fallen
grandeur with the mud-built villages of Lebidah and Legatah,
and the Nomadic tribes scattered around. The city, with its imme-
diate suburb, occupies a space of about ten thousand yards, the
principal part of which is covered by a fine white sand, that,
drifting with the wind along the beach, has been arrested in its
progress by the ruins, and struck me at the moment as having
probably been the means of preserving many specimens of art, which,
from the numerous pillars, capitals, cornices, and sculptured frag-
ments strewed around, I could not but suppose to have been
extremely valuable, more especially, since having been the birth-
place of the Emperor Severus, he might have enriched it with
presents ; besides which it had been highly favoured for its adher-
ence to the Koman interest during the Jugurthine war. In addition
to these circumstances, the fact of Leptis once being sufficiently
opulent to render in tribute a talent a day, prompted me, on my
arrival at Malta, to recommend it as an eligible field for an extensive
excavation.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
75
On my return thither in January, 1817, I was surprised, on riding
over the ruins, to find that many of the most valuable columns,
which were standing in the preceding May, had either been removed,
or were lying broken on the spot, and even most of those stiU remain-
ing had had their astragal and torus chipped off. I discovered, on in-
quiry, that a report had been circulated by the Tschaouses on my
former visit, of an intention to embark them for England; and as it
had long been a quarry whence the Arabs supplied themselves with
mill-stones, they had in the interval been busily employed in breaking
up the columns for that purpose, providing not only for the present,
but also for future supply. This extensive destruction was prompted
by the peculiar construction of the Moorish oil-mills, they being built
with a circular surface, having a gentle inclination towards the
centre, round which a long stone traverses, formed by about one-
third of a shaft.
On the 25th, however, having arranged my tents and instru-
ments, I commenced an excavation near the centre of the city Avith
a party of eight Arabs, whom I increased the following day to a hun-
dred; and as they quickly gained the use of the Enghsh spade and
mattock, the work proceeded with celerity. But I soon had the mor-
tification of perceiving, from numerous local evidences, that Leptis had
been completely ravaged in former times, and its public edifices demo-
lished with diligent labour, owing perhaps to the furious bigotry
of the Carthaginian bishops, who zealously destroyed the Pagan
monuments in every place under their control. Or it might have
been partly effected by the vengeance of the Barbarians for the
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JOURNEY FROM
memorable treachery of the Leptitani. From whatever cause it pro-
ceeded, the destruction is complete ; most of the statues are either
broken to pieces, or chipped into shapeless masses, the arabesque
ornaments defaced, the acanthus leaves and volutes knocked oif‘ the
Mien capitals, and even part of the pavements torn up ; the massy
shafts of the columns alone remaining entire.
With a view of gaining further information, I opened an exten-
sive Necropolis, but with little success. There were neither vases
nor lachrymatories, but only a coarse species of amphorm and some
paterae, with a few coins, neither rare nor handsome, mostly brass,
and principally of Severus, Pupienus, Alexander, Juha Mammea,
Balbus, and Gordianus Pius. A number of intaglios of poor execu-
tion w^ere picked up in different parts, as also some very common
Carthaginian medals, but nothing indicating high antiquity or taste-
ful skill. Willing, however, to make as fair a trial as possible, I con-
tinued excavating until the 12th of February, when, having explored
the principal Basilica, a triumphal arch, a circus, a peristyleum, and
several minor structures, with only a strengthened conviction of the
precarious chance of recovering any specimens of art worth the
labour and expense of enlarged operations, I determined to desist.
In the course of the excavation I had an opportunity of observ-
ing, that the period of the principal grandeur of the city must have
been posterior to the Augustan age, and when taste was on the
decline ; for notwithstanding the valuable materials with which it
was constructed, it appears to have been overloaded with indifferent
ornament, and several of the mutilated colossal statues I found,
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
77
were in the very worst style of the Lower Empire. There are also
many evidences of the city having been occupied after its first and
violent destruction, from several of the walls and towers being built
of various architectural fragments confusedly heaped together.
Although there are several exceedingly fine brick and cementi-
tious edifices, most of the walls, arcades, and public buildings, are
composed of massy blocks of freestone, and conglomerate, in layers,
without cement, or at most with very little. The temples were
constructed in a style of the utmost grandeur, adorned with im-
mense columns of the most valuable granites and marbles, the shafts
of which consisted of a single piece. Most of these noble ornaments
were of the Corinthian order ; but I also saw several enormous masses
of architecture, ornamented with triglyphs, and two or three cyathi-
form capitals, which led me to suppose that a Doric temple, of
anterior date, had existed there. On a triple plinth near them I ob-
served a species of socte, used in some of these structures as the
base of a column, with part of the walls of the Celia, surrounded by
a columnar peristyle.
The city was encompassed by strong walls of solid masonry, pierced
with magnificent gates, and was ornamented with spacious porticoes,
sufficient portions of which still remain to prove their former splen-
dour. It was divided from its principal suburb to the east by a
river, the mouth of which forming a spacious basin, was the Cothon,
defended at its narrow entrance by two stout fortifications ; and
branching out from them, may be observed, under water, the remains
of two large moles. On the banks of this river, the bed of which is
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JOURNEY FROM
still occupied by a rivulet, are various ruins of aqueducts, and some
large reservoirs in excellent preservation. Between the principal
cisterns and the torrent to the westward of Leptis, some artificial
mounds are constructed across the plain, by which the winter rains
were conducted to the reservoirs, and carried clear of the city. On
the east bank of the river are remains of a galley-port, and numerous
baths, adjacent to a circus, formerly ornamented with obelisks and
columns, and above which are vestiges of a theatre. Indeed the
whole plain from the Mergip hills to the Cinyphus (now the river
Khahan) exhibits unequivocal proofs of its former population and
opulence.
Thus ended my unsuccessful research; but though no works of art
were recovered, many of the architectural fragments were moved
during the summer down to the beach, by Colonel Warrington,
where I called for and embarked them on board a store-ship for
England, together with thirty-seven shafts, which formed the prin-
cipal scope of the expedition, and they are now in the court of the
British Museum. Still we were sorry to find that neither the raft-
ports nor the hatchways of the Weymouth were capable of admitting
three fine Cipolline columns of great magnitude, that, from their
extreme beauty and perfection, we had been particularly anxious
about.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
79
On his return from a journey into the interior, in search of the
ruins of Ghirza, (to which we shall hereafter allude) Captain Smyth
observed three hills of moderate size in one of the branches of the
Messellata range; which, from their number, appear to answer to
the HiUs of the Graces, considered by Herodotus as the source of
the river Cinyphus. The distance of this range from the sea will
not at all correspond (as we have already observed) with the 200
stadia mentioned by Herodotus as the distance of the HiUs of the
Graces from the coast; but, without relying too much upon their
triple form, which might be equally peculiar to other hills, the cir-
cumstance of finding in these tumuli the source of the only stream
which will answer to the position of the Cinyphus, should, we think,
be esteemed as conclusive ; and we may hereafter consider the mea-
surements of Herodotus, as given in the passage which we have
quoted above, to be decidedly (from whatever cause) erroneous. We
may however observe, that we have had, at various times, so many
opportunities of admiring the general accuracy of the father of his-
tory, that we should rather consider this error to have resulted from
some mistake of the numbers, which may have occurred in transcrib-
ing the manuscript, than from any incorrectness on the part of Hero-
dotus. We give the remarks of Captain Smyth on this subject in
his own words.
From Benioleet I went to the north-eastward, in hopes of finding
some remains of Talata, Tenadassa, and Syddemis, which were in
the chain of communication with the stations of the Syrtis, Cydamus,
and the Tritonis; but I met with only a few dilapidated towers, and
JOURNEY FROM
«0
some uninteresting ruins, which from the situation were probably
those of Mespe. Thence we Crossed the Messellata hills, and near
the centre of one of the ramifications observed three slight eminences,
which I am inclined to think must have been the Tumuli of the
Graces of ancient geographers, though, but for the coincidence of the
number, I should scarcely have remarked them. They are about
340 feet in height, and nearly five miles from the coast, thus differing
in distance from the ancient account of 200 stadia ; but as the Ciny-
phus actually rises here, the early manuscripts may have suffered
from bad copyists.
The Cinyphus is now called the Wadie Khahan, or weak river, in
allusion to its sluggish course in summer, though it is still, to a little
distance inland, a considerable stream, for this part of the world. Its
shrubby banks render the lower part of it extremely picturesque,
while both they and the sedgy marshes it has formed towards Tabia
point abound with game of all descriptions. Near the high road
from Sahal to Zeliten, the river contracts at once : here stood an
*
ancient bridge, of Avhich vestiges remain ; and adjacent is a tolerable
subterraneous aqueduct, running in the direction of Leptis, with a
ventilating aperture, at intervals of about forty yards.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
81
CHAPTER V.
Arrival at Zeliten— Description of the Village and District of that name— Harbour of Zeliten—
Remains in its neighbourhood probably those of the Cisternae Oppidum of Ptolemy — Tomb
of the Mardbut Sidy Abd el Saldm — Respect shewn to it by our party in passing before it
General appearance of these Structures— Arab credulity and superstition— Leave Zeliten—
Remains between it and Selin— Arrive at Selin, the Orir, apparently, of Signor Della Celia
—Proceed to Zouia— Ports called by the Arabs Mersa Gusser and Mersa Zoraig— Arrive at
Mesurata, the Western Boundary of the Greater Syrtis— Description of the Town and District
of Mesurata— Account of them by Leo Africanus— Visit from the Shekh of Mesurata—
Splendid Costume and Equipage of the Shekh compared with that of our Bedouin Guide,
Shekh Mahommed el Dhbbah — Allusion to the report mentioned at the end of the Third
Chapter— Great demand for Medicine at Mesurata— Considerate conduct of Mr. Campbell-
Speedy success of his treatment in many difficult cases— Miraculous cure of a young Arab
woman by an itinerant Sherif and Mardbut— Detention of the party at Mesurata — Observa-
tions on Cape Mesurata, considered as the Cephalas Promontorium of Strabo — Remarks of
Signor Della Celia on this subject — Alterations proposed by that gentleman in the punctua-
tion of a passage in Strabo descriptive of the Promontory — Actual appearance of the Pro-
montory sufficiently consistent with the account of Strabo — ^Well-founded Remarks of Signor
Della Celia on the extension of the Gharian Chain, &c.— Extensive View from the Sand-hills
at the back of Mesurata — Singular contrast presented by the view over the dreary wastes of
the Syrtis compared with that over the plain of Mesurata — Hot wind, and swarm of locusts
accompanying it — Alarm of the Arabs of Mesurata — Precautions adopted by them on the
occasion — Destructive consequences (mentioned by Shaw) resulting from the visit of a flight
of Locusts which he witnessed — Remarks of Pliny on the same subject — Arrival of the
Camels, and departure from Mesurata.
On our arrival at Zeliten, we found barley and oil in abundance, and
much cheaper than in the neighbourhood of Tripoly ; we availed our-
selves, accordingly, of the favourable state of the market, to replenish
our supply of these articles with the produce of the district of Cinyps.
Herodotus thought it necessary to observe, in describing the fortu-
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nate region here alluded to, that “ it rained in this part of Libya*” —
and we had also, in this instance, full reason to acknowledge the accu-
racy of the father of history : for our stock of provisions was so much
damaged by the rain which had attended our passage through the
country, that we found it necessary to expose it a sepond time to the
sun, before we ventured to secure it more eflPectually in the baskets.
The village of ZelTten contains from three to five hundred souls
(as Shekh Benzahir, who presides there, informed us) ; and we were
indebted to him, besides, for the honour of a visit, and a present
(no less valuable) of some excellent F ezzan dates, which are thought
to be superior to those of the country. The district of Zeliten,
he further informed us, which extends from Wad’el Kh&han to
Sehn, contains no less than fifteen villages and ten thousand
inhabitants. The houses are built with mud and rough stones, the
mud, on most occasions, preponderating, as it generally does in Arab
buildings; the roofs are formed of mats and the branches of the
palm-tree, on which is laid a quantity of earth. The villages of
Igsaiba, Fehtir, IrgTg, and Snud, all smaller than Zeliten, but built
after the same fashion, may be said to be appendages to that place.
Each of these villages, as well as Zeliten itself, is surrounded by
plantations of date-trees and ohves, and presents a tolerable show of
cultivation. The produce is more than the inhabitants consume,
and the overplus, together with straw mats and earthern jars, manu-
factured in the place, are disposed of to Bedouin traders, or carried
* Terai yag ^nr»vra rnr Ai^vns.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
83
to other markets for sale. There are two springs of very good water
near ZelTten, which supply a small pond ; and in this place the ladies
of the place are accustomed to wash and cleanse their wool, their
clothes, and, occasionally, themselves, before they fill their jars for
home consumption.
The port called Mersa Zelften is an insignificant cove, that would
scarcely afford shelter to a boat. It is formed by a few rocks above
water ; may be about one hundred yards across, and appears to have
no more than five or six feet water in it. Here also are two springs
of good water, which would afford a constant supply, if the Arabs
would take the trouble of excavating a cistern, and of protecting it
from the surf. To the N.E. of the Mersa, at the distance of from
half a mile to three-quarters of a mile off shore, the sea broke over
sunken rocks : the cliffs are of sand-stone, and about thirty feet in
height.
The many ruins which exist in the vicinity of ZelTten, and the
frequent appearance of building-stones, and shafts of marble columns,
protruding through the mud walls of the village, contribute decid-
edly to point it out as an ancient site, and it was probably the Cis-
ternae or Cinsternas Oppidum of Ptolemy ; which is the first town
mentioned by this geographer after the T^r/i^uv — the Cephalas
Promontorium of Strabo — in the tract of country between that point
and the Cinyphus.
Among the sand hills which almost surround the village, we found
several imperfect ground plans ; and near the beach is the tomb of
a Marabut, supported by marble columns, which however are of very
M 2
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trifling dimensions: there also we noticed several fragments of marble
columns, and a considerable quantity of pottery and glass. Among
the sand hills are likewise some remains of Arab baths, built of stone
and cement ; and about them are scattered the ruins of walls and
buildings, as though the village had once been there, but having
been deserted was gradually covered with sand.
Our tents at Zeliten were pitched upon the sand hills close to the
tomb of a celebrated Mardbut, called Sidy Abd el Salam, much
respected by all the Mahometan population*. The Arabs of our
escort were particularly desirous that we should show some marks of
attention to the remains of this holy personage, by passing his tomb
at a slow and solemn pace, and at a respectful distance ; and though
it may be imagined we had no great faith in the sanctity of this
venerated Shekh, and as little in the miracles which were attributed
to him, we complied with their pious request. . The tombs of such
Marabuts as have acquired any tolerable celebrity, present a singular
appearance, in the motley collection of votive offerings and deposits
which are displayed both within and without the holy structures ;
and bundles of wood and long grass, ploughs, mats, jars, and shreds
of old garments, are seen mingled with rusty firelocks and pistols,
* The saint and his tomb are thus mentioned by Captain Lyon : —
“ This place (Zeliten) is particularly blessed in possessing the remains of a great Ma-
rabut, who is buried in a really handsome mosque, ornamented with minarets and neat
cupolas, and whitewashed all over. His descendants are much respected, and are called
Weled el Sheikh, sons of the elder; they think themselves authorized to be the most
impudent, begging set of people in the whole regency of Tripoly.” (P. 335.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
85
saddles, stirrups, and bridles, and chaplets of beads, and rubbish of
almost every description.
The more useful offerings of vegetables and fruit may be sometimes
observed in the collection * ; and the appetite of a saint, who has
been dead fifty years, is often revived and miraculously exerted on
these very tempting occasions. A large portion of food very soon
disappears from the board of a living Mardbut, but the heaps which
are consumed by a dead one of any celebrity are perfectly astonishing
to unbehevers.
The creduhty of the Arab has, however, no bounds ; and it rather,
indeed, appears to increase, in proportion as the marvellous tale
which is related is more inconsistent and extravagant.
Marabuts are allowed the most unlimited freedom of access, from
the palace and presence of the sovereign, to the tent of the meanest
Arab ; and their persons are considered as sacred and inviolable, even
after the commission of the most unjustifiable outrages. The last-
mentioned privilege is not confined to the living ; for the tomb of a
Marhbut is as inviolable as his person, and affords a sure sanctuary
to the worst of criminals, in defiance of law and authority f.
* It must be observed, that the opportunity of being buried in a mosque does not
offer itself to many Marabuts — their tombs in genei-al are small, insulated buildings,
surmounted with a single cupola, having nothing to recommend them, in’point of appear-
ance, beyond the neatness and regularity which usually distinguish them. They are
commonly built on eminences.
•f A criminal who may not be forced from a Marabut, may, however, be starved in
his sanctuary ; and this is often effected by surrounding the tomb with troops, thus pre-
venting the escape of the prisoner, and the possibility of his being supplied with food
An occurrence, however, took place at Bengazi in the year 1817, which serves to prove
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JOURNEY FROM
To return to our subject, we may remark, in conclusion, that a
very considerable part of the population of Zellten are Jews; and we
were informed that the manufactures of the place are chiefly in the
hands of these people : we found them uniformly civil, obliging, and
industrious, and though much persecuted by the Mahometan inha-
bitants, they appear to support their ill fortune contentedly.
On the morning of the 1 8th we left Zehten, and entered imme-
diately upon an extensive plain, for the most part overrun with
squills and brushwood. Two roads cross this plain, one to Mesu-
that this species of blockade is not i^lways sure to be effectual. Some Arabs of the Zoasi
tribe, who had escaped from Bey Hamed after the massacre of their companions in the
castle, took refuge in the tomb of a celebrated Marabut, situated in the vicinity of the
town. The Bey could not venture to force the sanctuary which they had reached, but
took every means in his power to prevent their escape, or their communication with
any person without. He had closely blockaded the tomb with his troops ; and flattered
himself that they must shortly perish with hunger, or be reduced to the necessity of
surrendering themselves to the soldiers. In either case the object of the Bey would have
been accomplished, and he confidently waited the result ; while the anxiety of the people
and neighbourhood of Bengazi, who pitied the unfortunate fugitives, was raised to the
highest pitch. Every one was expecting some horrid catastrophe, for the destruction of
the prisoners, by famine or the sword, appeared to be now inevitable ; when the timely
interference of the departed Marabut was miraculously exerted in their favour. On
t he third day after their arrival at the sanctuary, to the astonishment of the assembled
spectators, a stream of water was seen to issue from the tomb, and the ground all about
it was observed to be strewed with dates and other articles of food for the refugees ! ! !
It was clear that no other than the Marabut himself could have afibrded this provi-
dential supply — (X6701U.EV Sg ra. Xsynm ccuroi Ai^vsr, we tell the tale as it was told to us) —
for the place had been watched day and niglit by the troops, who had been carefully
and regularly relieved ; and every Arab of Bengazi and the adjacent country can still
testify the fact as it is stated !
The same story may be found in the work of Dr. Della Celia, who informs us that the
miracle look place dui-ing his residence at Bengazi.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI,
«7
rata, the other to Eenioleed : we took the former, as nearest to the
sea ; and at the distance of a few miles beyond Zeliten, we observed
several scattered heaps of ruins on either side of the road ; most of
these have been built on artificial mounds, with trenches round
them, and appear to have formed parts of a military position ; but
everything was so much mutilated and buried, that much time would
have been necessary to make out their plans, which would scarcely
indeed have recompensed the labour of excavation.
At sunset we arrived at Selin, where the tents were pitched near
an ancient well, forty feet in depth, and containing a good supply of
sweet water. At the distance of about two hundred yards from the
well, we perceived upon a hill the remains of what appeared to have
been a fort ; and many fragments of buildings were discernible here
and there in the neighbourhood. This place seems to be the Orir of
Dr. Delia Celia, but we could perceive no traces of the Mosaic pave-
ment which he mentions, nor anything to mark the spot as the site
of an ancient city. The Doctor has fixed upon Orir as the position
of Cinsternm; and the circumstance of its occurring (in passing from
west to east) immediately before the promontory which forms the
western boundary of the Greater Syrtis, would, in truth, seem to
favour the idea. But Zeliten appeared to us more adapted for
the site of a city, and the remains of that place had more the cha-
racter of parts of a town than those which were observable at Selin.
We should conceive that the ruins to the eastward of Zeliten were
those of a connected series of forts, and that no other buildings had
been attached to them than such as are usually found in the neigh-
bourhood of a military position. Cinsternee, however, was a town of
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so little importance, that whether its site be fixed at ZelTten or
Selin is a matter of very trivial consideration.
On the evening of the succeeding day we reached the little village
of Zouia, which is somewhat resembling, but very superior to, Zeliten.
After quitting Selin we had divided our party, and leaving the
camels to pursue the direct road, we proceeded along the sand-hills
which flank the beach, and arrived at an inconsiderable collection of
hovels situated immediately on the coast. This place is called
Zoraig, and contains, we were told, about an hundred persons, who
cultivate just sufficient ground to supply themselves and their fami-
lies. They were, however, provided with several wells of good water,
which they distributed by means of troughs over the cultivated
ground. We here dismounted to partake of some dates and water,
which were cordially offered to us by an old man of the village ; and
we soon learned from him that the Adventure had been there several
days, and that a party of the officers had been on shore. Two little
ports, if such they may be called, are here formed by reefs of rocks
lying off the village, and the natives have dignified them with the
titles of Mersa Gusser and Mersa Zoraig *.
On the following day we entered Mesurata by a circuitous route
shaded thickly with date-trees, and enclosed between well-furnished
gardens.
We had now reached the eastern boundary of the - cultivated dis-
tricts, where they terminate on the margin of the Syrtis ; and as this
was the place where we were to change our camels, we pitched the
* Mersa is the Arab term for a port or harbour.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
89
tents in a garden near the town, and proceeded to make the neces-
sary arrangements.
The town of Mesurata is built with tolerable regularity ; its streets
cross each other at right angles, and near the centre stands the mar-
ket-place, which, like most others in this country, is half occupied by
a pool of green and stinking water. The houses are only one story
high, and are built with rough stones and mud; the roofs are flat,
and formed with slight rafters, covered with mats and a quantity of
sea-weed, over which is laid a thick coat of mud, smoothed and beat
down very carefully. They are fortunate who can mix a little lime
with the mud which forms the outer part of their roof ; for without
this addition it is wholly incapable of resisting the heavy rains which
assail it in winter, and a thick muddy stream never fails to find its
way, through the numerous mazes of sea-weed and matting, to the
luckless inhabitants below : the white- washed walls are in conse-
quence usually marked with long streaks of this penetrating fluid,
and present a singularly-variegated appearance. The greater part
of the town has been built upon a hard rocky incrustation, about
two feet in thickness ; the soil beneath is soft and sandy, and, being
easily removed, is excavated by the Arabs into storehouses for their
corn and dry provisions. Some of these have in the course of time
fallen in, and the streets are in such places not very passable.
The extent of the district of Mesurata, according to the report of
its Shekh, is from Selin to Sooleb, a place in the Syrtis, two days dis-
tant to the southward of the town; it consists of the villages of
Ghara, Zouia, Zoroog, Gusser Hdmed, Gezir, ^c., and is said to
N
90
JOURNEY FROM
contain 14,000 inhabitants, including those of the town of Mesurata ;
the population of the five villages which we have just named amounts
to about 1250 persons, supposing the estimate of the Shekh to be
correct, from whom this statement is derived. The gardens, which
extend from Zouia to Marabut Bushaifa, produce dates, olives,
melons, pomegranates, pumpkins, carrots, onions, turnips, radishes,
and a little tobacco and cotton ; among these may be mentioned the
palma christi, which we frequently observed in this neighbourhood.
Many of the gardens are raised from six to eight feet above the road,
and are enclosed by mud walls, or by fences of the prickly pear
and wild aloe. The dates, which are of several kinds, are in great
abundance, and the olives yield a plentiful supply of oil : these, with
barley, which is also very abundant, are carried to various markets
for sale ; for the home-consumption of the place consists chiefly of
dates and durrah, and the greater part of the barley is exported.
The principal manufactures of Mesurata are carpets, the colours
of which are very brilliant, straw mats, sacks of goats’ hair, and
earthen jars. The market is in general well supplied with meat,
vegetables, the fruits of the country, oil, manteca, and salt ; the latter
is procured from some very extensive marshes a few miles to the
southward of the town*.
Mesurata (or “ Mesarata,” as some authors write it) has been
described by Leo Africanus as “ a province on the coast of the Medi-
terranean, distant about an hundred miles from Tripoly.” He states
* Some account of the government and resources, as well as of the trade, of Mesurata,
may be collected from the work of Signor Della Celia, pp. 55, 6, 7.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
91
it to have contained many “ castles and villages, some on heights,
and others in the plain and adds that the inhabitants were exces-
sively rich, on account of their having no tribute to pay, and the
attention which they bestowed upon commerce. They were in the
habit (he continues) of receiving foreign wares, which were brought
to them by the Venetian galleys, and of carrying them to Numidia,
where they were bartered in exchange for slaves, civet, and musk
from Ethiopia ; these they carried into Turkey, and made a profit
both in going and returning.
In the lifetime of the late Bashaw, Mesurata was in a very dis-
turbed state. The inhabitants had refused to receive Sidy Yusef,
and it was only by the assistance of Shekh Haliffe that they were at
length reduced to obedience*. The place is not now so flourishing
as it is stated to have been in the time of Leo, and its commerce
appears to be trifling.
Soon after our arrival, the Shekh of Mesurata, Belcdzi, came to
pay us his visit of ceremony. He was accompanied by Shekh Ma-
hommed el Ddbbah, and attended by a train of mounted Arabs,
tolerably well armed with long guns and pistols. The splendid
attire of Shekh Belcazi, displayed to advantage by a large and hand-
some person, threw far into the shade the less imposing costume and
figure of his companion. It consisted of three cloth waistcoats,
richly embroidered with gold, and a pair of most capacious crimson
silk trowsers, bound tight round his waist, which was none of the
* See Tally’s Memoirs, passim.
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JOURNEY FROM
slenderest, by many an ell of handsome shawl. Over this, notwith-
standing the heat of the day, he had thrown, in ample folds, a large
white barracan, and above this a heavy red cloth burnoos, the
hood of which was pulled over eight or ten yards of muslin rolled
round his head as a turban. The eyelids of the Shekh had been
carefully painted with the sable powder usually employed for that
purpose, and which is considered, even by men, in the regency of
Tripoly, to be absolutely requisite on occasions of ceremony. The
tips of his fat and gentlemanly-looking fingers were at the same time
stained with h6nnah ; and, as the dye had been recently and co-
piously applied, would decidedly have made those of Aurora look
pale.
\A^hile the Shekh had been thus minutely attentive to his own
person, that of his horse had been by no means neglected ; for his
bridle was of crimson silk embroidered with gold, and his scarlet
saddle-cloth displayed a broad edging of gold lace : the saddle itself
was of rich crimson velvet, and the high back and pummel, which
appeared through the saddle-cloth, were also thickly embroidered
with gold. A broad band of gold lace was stretched across his chest,
and a large and thick tassel of crimson silk and gold (which might
have served a Grand Cross of the Bath), together with a numerous
collection of charms, were suspended from the neck of the animal.
The large gilt Mameluke stirrups, kept in constant motion by the
rider, flashed gaily in the beams of the sun, which were glanced off in
many a brilliant sparkle from this glittering assemblage of precious
metal. If Phoebus himself had appeared in all his splendour,
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
93
mounted on one of his gayest chariot-horses, he could scarcely have
been more an object of admiration and wonder in the eyes of the hum-
ble and unassuming crowd of Arabs which had assembled to witness
the show, than Shekh Belcazi and his charger were on this occasion.
We dare not guess how the lady of our honest friend the Dhbbah
would have supported this splendid exhibition, in which her husband
was so completely eclipsed; but we thought that the eyes of Shekh Ma-
hommed himself did occasionally wander to the shining masses by his
side, with something like an expression of jealousy. If it were so,
however, the glance only found its way through the corners of the
Ddbbah’s orbs of vision; for his head kept its post with becoming so-
lemnity, and was never once turned towards those objects of his envy,
to which all other eyes were so fuUy directed. It must at the same
time be allowed, that the toilet of Shekh Mahommed had been much
more attended to than usual. He had made a temporary adjourn-
ment from his usual only garment to a white cotton shirt of very
decent exterior, over which he had carefully arranged a clean-looking
white barracan ; and he had drawn from the innermost recesses of
his saddle-bags a new white burnoos of no ordinary texture, which
he persuaded himself to substitute for the old and coarse brown one he
had hitherto worn on the road *. His saddle-case was now observed to
be of crimson morocco, a circumstance with which we were not before
* A coarse brown barracan is on most occasions the only habit of a Bedouin Arab ;
but as the rainy season was approaching, Shekh Mahommed had allowed himself the
additional covering of the old burnoos we have mentioned. Shirts are seldom worn but
on gay occasions.
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JOURNEY FROM
acquainted ; for it had hitherto, on the journey, been turned inside
out, or more properly speaking, with the outer side in, to prevent it
from being soiled, and from fading in the sun. His saddle-cloth also,
which had hitherto consisted of a dirty piece of white flannel, was
now of bright scarlet cloth ; and, besides the embroidered covers to
liis silver-embossed pistols, he had carefully suspended from different
parts of his body a great variety of little bags, of different colours and
sizes: these were the repositories of his powder and ball, and carried
tinder, flints and steel, money, nails, and tobacco, with sundry other
little matters too numerous to mention. By his side also hung a
neat little smaat, or goat skin, with the long black hairs left to orna-
ment and protect the outside ; and which, properly speaking, was
meant to hold water, but which likewise served indifferently for
holding milk, oil, or butter, or any other substance which it might be
necessary to carry in it. We should state that, under all this variety
of ornament, Shekh Mahommed elDhbbah sat with dignity upon his
mare, a recently -acquired present from the Bashaw, whose spirit had
been prudently roused on this occasion by the stimulus of an extra
feed of corn. The display of Arab horsemanship which concluded
the procession, received additional eclat from this precaution ; and
the Hhbbah’s mare, after manoeuvring her head to admiration, first
on one side and then on the other, and prancing, and pacing, and
rearing, to the delight of the assembled spectators, no sooner felt the
angle of the spur assail her sides, than she sprang forward with a
bound in advance of the party, and being suddenly pulled up with a
powerful bit, was thrown back upon her haunches within a foot of
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
95
our tent-cords. The old Ddbbah looked round to enjoy the applause
which he felt he had deserved, for his horsemanship and his mare,
from the crowd who had witnessed the exhibition ; and the two
Shekhs alighted and entered the tent, each apparently well pleased
with himself.
Within they found everything arranged for their reception : the
dusty ground had been previously adorned with a mat, over which
had been spread some small carpets ; and we had taken care to have
coffee and sherbet in readiness, which were served up as soon as they
were seated. Shekh Belcazi was introduced to our acquaintance by
the Dhbbah, who took care at the same time to inform us of his rank
and importance ; accompanying his harangue with a profusion of
fulsome Arab compliments, which were received by Belcdzi as a
matter of course, and appreciated by us as they deserved. As soon
as the usual salutations were over, and the coffee and lemonade had
been disposed of (though not before Belckzi had satisfied his curio-
sity with regard to the several uses of every object in the tent), we
began to make arrangements for the number of camels which would
be necessary for our journey across the Syrtis. The Shekh of Mesu-
rata undertook to provide them, and freely offered his assistance in
any other way in which it might be serviceable to our party.
The camels could not be procured on the moment, but it was
settled that Belcdzi should let us know the next morning how soon
he would be able to collect them. The Dhbbah, in his turn, now
began to expatiate upon the attention which he would shew us when
we reached the district of Syrt, over which he presided as Shekh ;
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JOURNEY FROM
and to enumerate the various excellences of the fat sheep and lambs,
of the milk, and the butter, and the water we should find there ;
assuring us that he would consider it his greatest pleasure, as well
as duty, to take care that we were well supplied with all these
valuable commodities. He then began to state the great advantage
of his protection, and how impossible it would have been for us to
cross the Syrtis without him. As we suspected that the report
which had been mentioned to us by the Consul was invented by our
worthy friend the Dhbbah, we took this opportunity of relating it to
the Shekh of Mesurata, and of asking his opinion with regard to its
probabihty. Belcazi shook his head, and very confidently assured us
that he did not believe there was any foundation for it whatever : it
was true, he confessed, that a few years ago such an interruption
might easily have occurred ; but since the Arab tribes had been
reduced by the Bashaw, the communication between Mesurata and
Bengazi might be considered as tolerably certain.
Shekh Mahommed, however (whose large and round eyes had been
during this discourse very attentively fixed upon those of the Shekh
of Mesurata), still insisted upon the existence of this horde of shan-
dTit * ; and even asserted that he was himself well acquainted with
all their favourite haunts and retreats. Some of his party, he added,
had tracked their horses’ feet from the well which they had recently
visited, and had informed him that their troop was very numerous.
But he knew, he continued, all the wells which they frequented, and
* The term applied by the Arabs in the regency of Tripoly to marauders of every
description, and which is evidently corrupted from the Italian.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
97
would himself ride before, to reconnoitre the ground when w^e
arrived in the neighbourhood of those places. He then assumed an
air of amazing importance, and putting one hand upon the head of a
pistol at his side, and stroking with the other his grey bushy beard,
bade us not be alarmed at any danger which might threaten us
while we were under the protection of the Diibbah! We were now
quite convinced that our valiant old friend had himself been the
author of the report, in order, as we then thought, to enhance the
value of his protection ; and we afterwards discovered the reason
why he wished to have an excuse for riding on occasionally in advance
of the party. It was, however, not our wish to hurt the old Shekh’s
feelings by a disclosure of these suspicions, and it was certainly not
our policy to do so ; we therefore acquiesced in his remarks upon
his own importance, and assured him that it was really our firm belief
that no sbandut would be daring enough to enter into his presence.
After some little further conversation with the Shekhs, from whom
we obtained all the information we could, we reminded Belcdzi of
his promise to collect the camels, which we told him we wished to
have as speedily as possible, and he soon after rose to take his
leave, and retired with the formidable Dhbbah. On the following
morning he sent his son to say that we should have the camels in
three or four days, and we took the opportunity of making the youth
some few presents, with which he was highly delighted. In the
evening we returned Belc4zi’s visit, and were received with a good
deal of that easy politeness, which the better classes of Turks and
Arabs know so well (when they choose it) how to practise We
0
98
JOURNEY FROM
here perceived that the fashions of Tripoly had travelled eastward
for green tea was served up with the sherbet instead of coffee, very
sweet, and very highly perfumed. On taking our leave, we were
again assured by the Shekh that he would send us the camels
very shortly ; but although we had every reason to be satisfied with
Belcdzi, so far as professions and civilities extended, we had already
seen enough of the Mahometan character to know that his promises
should not be depended upon.
We had scarcely been a day at Mesurata before the report of our
having a tibeeb (or doctor) in our party soon brought us a multitude
of visiters ; and the demand for medicine became so extensive, that
the contents of twenty medicine-chests, such as that which we had
with us, would not have satisfied one-half of the applicants. By far
the greater number of those who presented themselves had nothing
whatever the matter with them; but there were still many cases of
real distress which required and obtained assistance. The most pre-
valent diseases were those of the eye, and there were many very
alarming cases of dysentery ; but Mr. Campbell s attention and
medical skill soon began to produce very favourable symptoms, and
as much of the medicine as could possibly be spared was adminis-
tered to and distributed amongst those who required it. As is
usual, however, in barbarous countries, there were many simple beings
whom it was impossible to convince that the powers of medicine are
hmited, and they were so fuUy persuaded of Mr. Campbell’s omni-
potence, that he soon found it useless to deny it. To meet this
emergency he found it better to make up some little harmless ingre-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
99
dients for their use, and to tell them that the rest was in the hands
of the prophet, who had alone (under Allah) the power to cure
them completely. With this declaration, and the medicine toge-
ther, without which they would by no means have been satisfied,
the petitioners used to retire well pleased with their physician, and
convinced that the draught or the powders which they had received
would infalhbly remove their infirmity, however incurable it might be.
A young woman, in the mean time, who resided near the tents,
was attacked, after eating a quantity of bazeen*, with a violent
headache and pain in the stomach; and a celebrated Mardbut, who
had lately arrived at Mesurata, was called in to administer his assist-
ance. The holy man did not refuse to comply with the summons;
and when he made his appearance at the door of her tent, Mr.
Campbell, and such of our party who were near, were led by curio-
sity to the same place; and taking up, unperceived, an advantageous
position, were able to understand, with the assistance of the inter-
preter, the whole of the conversation which ensued.
The Shereef (for he claimed, or possessed, the distinction) was no
sooner made acquainted with the case than he assumed a most mys-
terious air; and began by declaring to his suffering patient that she
was possessed by an underground spirit. He then proceeded to
* Bazeen (the composition and manufacture of which is well described by Captain
Lyon, p. 49) is the common food of the lower classes of Arabs in the regency of
Tripoly, and appears to have been a very ancient one; for we find it mentioned by Leo
Africanus as being in use among the same people, in his account of Tripoly. — (.5“ parte,
page 72.)
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state, as the cause of this misfortune, that before doing something
(which our party could not distinctly make out) she had omitted to
say Bismillah! (in the name of God) a form always used by good and
pious Mahometans to draw down a blessing upon whatever they are
about to do. This omission (he declared) had been tire cause of her
dropping some water upon the head of the spirit’s child, who was pass-
ing beneath her (under ground) at the time ; and the justly-enraged
gnome had in consequence leaped into her, and was now in the act
of tormenting her for the crime. Our party of listeners could hardly
contain themselves at this most ingenious discovery of the Shereef ;
but all the Arabs within the tent believed it most fully, and the poor
girl herself began to cry bitterly and to bewail her hard fate and
most unlucky omission. The Markbut, however, now bade her take
comfort, and assured her that the case, though undoubtedly a serious
one, was not altogether without a remedy. He accordingly called
up a severe and commanding look, and, in a tone of authority,
ordered the spirit to leave her. As the pain still continued without
intermission, it was evident that this personage was not inchned to
obey ; and the holy man then pronounced him a most obstinate
Spirit, and told him that he knew of his having entered the woman
long before she had sent for his assistance : he added, however, that
he was determined to conquer him, and would not quit his patient
till morning. At the same time he acknowledged that the task
would be difficult, for he could clearly perceive that the woman
was wicked : he knew it (he said) by the breadth of her shoulders,
and the uncommon blackness of her large rolling eyes, which were
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
101
even larger and blacker than those of one of his own wives, whom he
knew to be a very sinful woman. In the morning it happened that
the poor girl was better, and the fame of the Marabut was widely
diffused ; but whether her recovery was owing to the holy man’s
exertions, or to a copious draught of medicine administered by
Mr. Campbell, we will leave to the decision of our readers.
During our stay at Mesurata, where we were detained several days,
in consequence of the non-appearance of the Shekh’s promised
camels, we took the opportunity afforded by the delay, of visiting the
places of most interest in the neighbourhood.
Bushaifa Bay had been stated by Captain Lautier to. afford good
anchorage for shipping, and seemed in consequence to call for some
examination ; but we must confess that it did not appear, upon in-
spection, to deserve the character which that officer gives it. Of the
protection which may be afforded by breakers we cannot venture to
speak, Mesurata not boasting so much as a single boat, but it is cer-
tain that the land does not give the shelter required, as wiU be seen
by a reference to the chart. On the point of the bay, where is the
best landing-place, there has formerly been a fort, which is now en-
tirely destroyed.
As we had arrived on the confines of the Gulf of the greater
Syrtis, the position of the promontory, which had been stated by the
ancients to form its western extremity, was a most important object
of inquiry. Between the town of Mesurata and the sea there is a
high range of sand-hills, rising far above the heads of the tallest
date-trees about them : and beyond these is a promontory of soft
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JOURNEY FROM
sand-stone *, which may be (at a rough estimation) about an hun-
dred feet above the level of the sea. This high land is divided
into three distinct heads, or capes, and is described by Captain
Lautier as having the appearance (from the sea) of three f hills
in the form of as many islands. The low ground at the back
and to the south-east of these capes is thickly covered with date-
trees, but their summits are now bare of wood and destitute of
any vegetation : the sand-stone in fact is fast crumbling away, and
the height of the promontory is every day diminishing. The
appearance of this triple cape coincided so well, in our estimation, with
the description given by Strabo of the Cephalas Promontorium|, that
we have not hesitated to pronounce it the same with that headland.
It does not however form the precise point, or western extremity, of
the gulf, which is in fact a low rocky projection, scarcely above the
level of the sea, about four miles distant from the cape : but this point
is too low to be remarked from the sea, and Strabo, when he observed
the cape from his vessel, may well be excused for having over-
looked it.
The or Triaerorum Promontorium of Ptolemy is no
* Dr. Della Celia has confounded the sand-hills with the promontory, the latter of
which he asserts is composed entirely of sand ; they are however as distinct from each
other as sand-stone may be said to be from sand. The sand-hills are, besides, at some
distance from the sea, and the promontory immediately upon it.
t II Capo Mesurata, a tre circa leghe di distanza, si mostra sotto 1’ apparenza di tre
monticelli a foggia di ti-e isolotti — See Lautier’s Memoir, attached to the Viaggio da
Tripoli, 8fc., by Della Celia.
I Eit’ axqa v^rikn nau rrts /xeyaXnr ^uqlscos, aocXHai Se K.£^aXas' Lib. 17, § 18.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
103
doubt the same with the Cephalas of Strabo ; and being laid down a
little without the gulf corresponds more exactly with the actual na-
ture of the ground. Strabo certainly describes his promontory as
forming the beginning or western extremity of the Syrtis ; but the
circumstance above mentioned of his having seen it only from the sea,
may be easily imagined to have occasioned this little inaccuracy, if
such it may indeed be termed.
We are at a loss to imagine what the promontory can be which
Signor Della Celia has identified with that of Ptolemy (and which
he states to have been two hours distant from Mesurata) unless the
Cephalas itself be intended, or, in other words, the cape which we have
supposed to be the Cephalas For, with the exception of this, there
is no other high land which will in any respect answer to the triple
cape of Ptolemy ; and this is not more than half an hour’s ride from
the town, and is not in the route which the army must have taken
in marching from Mesurata towards the Syrtis, as will be seen by a
reference to the Chart. At the same time, we can neither persuade
ourselves that Strabo would have instanced an accidental range of
sand-hills as a promontory; nor that the word applied by this
geographer to the Cephalas, can be supposed to mean distant, or
deep, instead of high, as Signor Della Celia has imagined ; notwith-
standing the passage cited from Homer, which the Doctor reads in
favour of his argument f .
* Dopo due ore di cammino giungemmo all’ estremita del Promontoi'io che sporge
in tre punte divise da seni di mare : ond’ e che il nome di capo Triero con cui e chia-
mato da Tolommeo ne esprime la forma. — Viaggio da Tripoli, 8(C., p. 60.
•f* The observations connected with the transposition of the comma recommended by
Signor Della Celia, are at the same time, we must confess, rather singular : for it does
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AVhen we consider that the cape which forms the Cephalas Pro-
montorium is, at least, as we have stated, an hundred feet high; and
that, from the soft quality of the stone, which is continually crum-
bling away, it may have been in Strabo’s time considerably higher, we
may fairly conclude that the term (or /iig/i) is not quite so in-
applicable to it as Signor Della Celia has asserted.
not clearly appear how the removal of a comma from a place which it never occupied,
and the insertion of it in a place whei’e it always existed, can be said to amend a defect-
ive passage. A comma is placed after uXai^ns, in all the copies of Strabo with which
we are acquainted, but none after axga although there might be without impropriety;
and it seems more consistent with the Doctor’s translation to suppose that he meant
exactly the contrary of what he has i-ecommended ; that is to say, that his real intention
was to remove the comma from and place it after axga. We might then read,
by giving to aJ/wXig the sense which Signor Della Celia requires for it, — “ Then comes
the promontory, which forms the distant and woody extremity of the Greater Syrtis,” —
instead of — “ Then (comes) the high and woody promontory, which is the beginning of
the Greater Syrtis.” We must, however, confess that we do not see any difference in
the sense of the passage in question, whether a comma be placed after axga or not, pro-
vided that after vXul-ni be allowed to keep its place : but by the change which we
propose, the Doctor’s punctuation will at any rate correspond with his version, which,
as it stands, it does not.
We give the observations and the passage together in Signor Della Celia’s own
woi'ds. — “ Con questa avvertenza io crederei doversi intendere un passo di Strabone
molto diversamente dal penso che gli e dato da tutti i traduttori ; parlando del Capo
Cefalo, questo geografo cosi si esprime — eit’ ctv.pa. xai vXailrts, («§%■»! of
course is intended) rns- fj:.eyxXr,s — che tutti traducono — indi (viene) il promon-
torio alto e selvoso, che e il principio della gran Sirte.
L’esattezza di questo illustre geografo puoesser salvata togliendo la virgola dopo axga
e transportandola dopo e tradiicendo — quindi viene il promontorio, che forma
r alta e selvosa estremita della gran Sirte — dovendosi riputare quell’ alto non all’ altezza
del capo, che non quadra col vero, ma alia disianza che divide 1’ estremita della gran
Sirte dal suo fondo. In questo stesso senso la voce trovasi spesso adoperata da
Omero per dinotare gli sfondi del mare nelle terre.
OTE xf/xa axTr,
E(f’ t/4-riXr) OTE xivTifEi Noror eXBm, &c. — (V. da Tripoli, p. 54.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
105
It is true that compared with high capes this elevation may appear to
be trifling; but it seems quite sufficient when contrasted with the land
about it, and particularly with the low and level surface of the Syrtis.
The highest parts of the Cape, as we have mentioned above, are not
at the present time wooded, whatever they may have been formerly ;
but the land at its base, to the south and south-east, is thickly
covered with date-trees and olives : and, without allowing so much
for the changes which time might be supposed to have produced, as
would be readily granted to us by the most tenacious of naturalists,
we may venture to assert that this cape, under its present appearance,
answers sufficiently well to the description of Strabo, to authorize its
being identified with the Cephalas.
The observations, however, which Signor Della Celia has made on
the map of Northern Africa by Arrowsmith, respecting the extension
of the Gharian chain towards the Greater Syrtis, and the omission
of the low range which actually branches off from those mountains,
are certainly very correct*. For a minor branch of the Gharian
detaches itself from the chain, and runs down to the sea in the
neighbourhood of Lebida; and another part of the same range ex-
tends itself from Lebida towards the Syrtis Major, gradually de-
clining as it approaches that place, both of which are omitted in the
* Sopra questa osservazione converra correggere la bellissima carta di Arrow-Smith,
ove la schiera de’ monti del Goriano son disposti in maniera de far credere che tra il
capo Mesurata, ove in quella carta si pretendono e la piccola Sirte, vi sia un’ ampia e
non interrotta pianura. Ora, non solo da quest! monti si stacca un ramo che la inter-
rompe, e viene a cadere scosceso sul mare a Lebda ; ma di piii, il loro prolungamento
lino al Capo Mesurata ^ falso. — (p. 53-4.)
106
JOURNEY PROM
map to which the Doctor has alluded*. The eastern extremity of the
Gharian chain appears also to be carried too near to the Greater
Syrtis, from no part of which (so far as our experience went) could
any portion of this chain be perceived.
We were unable to discover any remains of antiquity at Mesurata ;
but its remarkable position between the fertile regions of the Ciny-
phus, and the barren dreary wastes of the Greater Syrtis, cannot fail
to make it an object of more than common interest to those who
witness the singular contrast.
From the high range of sand-hills, which we have mentioned above,
between the town and the sea, an excellent idea may be formed of
this striking pecuharity of situation ; and we often toiled up their
steep and yielding sides to enjoy the singularity of the prospect.
At the foot of these masses, to the southward, and to the west-
ward, are the varied and cultivated lands of Mesurata f : there are
seen endless groves of palm-trees and olives, among which are scat-
tered numerous villages and gardens, rich tracts of corn land, flocks
of sheep and goats, and everywhere a moving and busy population.
* In illustration of these remarks, we need only refer our readers to the chart of the
Expedition prefixed, which we may add has been carefully made ; but we must observe,
in justice to the compilers of those excellent ma2:)s which are published in the name of
Mr. Arrowsmith, that no blame can be reasonably attached to them, either for the
extension or the omission alluded to. They could only avail themselves of the best
authorities hitherto existing, and ought not to be made responsible for more than these
actually contain.
J The rocky land which we have mentioned, and the sea, form the boundaries of the
sand-hills to the northward.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
107
To the eastward*, a tenantless and desolate waste, without a single
object rising from its surface, lies stretched in one long, unbroken,
line, as far as the eye can range. Not a single tree or shrub is on
that side to be seen ; not a single house or tent, not a single human
being, or animal of any description.
In fact the effect of the Greater Syrtis, from this place, is that
of a dreary moor — a wide tract of level, waste land — without any-
thing to distinguish one part of it from another but the windings
of a marsh, which threads its dark surface, and is lost in different
parts of the unbroken horizon f.
Two days before our departure from Mesurata, a strong scirocco
wind set in, and brought such myriads of locusts, that the air was lite-
rary darkened by them. The inhabitants in consequence remained
out all night, keeping up a continued shouting and firing of mus-
kets and pistols, to prevent them from settling on the gardens and
cultivated lands. They who were not engaged in this occupation,
employed themselves in collecting the locusts which had been beaten
down, and carrying them off in baskets as articles of provision : so
great was the quantity collected on this occasion, that we observed
many asses, heavily laden with these insects, driven into the town
f * The south-eastward would be more correct, for the coast there begins to trend to
the southward.
t A more comfortless scene can scarcely be imagined than is presented by the open-
ing of this celebrated region, so little known at any period of history. The opinion
which the ancients appear to have formed of it may be inferred from the description of
Lucan, in his account of Cato’s march across it (Pharsalia, book 9.) ; but it will be
seen, as we advance into the regions of the Syrtis, that this description is more poetical
than just.
108
JOURNEY FROM
and the neighbouring villages. The destruction occasioned by' a
large swarm of locusts can scarcely be imagined by those who
have not witnessed it ; and the account which we subjoin of them,
extracted from Shaw, may not perhaps be unacceptable to our
readers
* “ Those which I saw, ann. 1724 and 1725, were much bigger than our common
grasshoppers, and had brown-spotted wings, with legs and bodies of a bright yellow.
Their first appearance was towards the latter end of March, the wind having been for
some time from the south. In the middle of April their numbers were so vastly
increased, that in the heat of the day they formed themselves into large and numerous
swarms, flew in the air like a succession of clouds, and, as the prophet Joel expresses it,
(ii. 10,) they darkened the sun. When the wind blew briskly, so that these swarms
were crowded by others, or thrown one upon another, we had a lively idea of that
comparison of the Psalmist (Psalm cix. 23), of being tossed up and down as the locust.
In the month of May, when the ovaries of those insects were ripe and turgid, each of
these swarms began gradually to disappear, and retired into the Mettijiah, and other
adjacent plains, where they deposited their eggs. These were no sooner hatched, in
June, than each of the broods collected itself into a compact body, of a furlong or more
in square; and marching afterwards directly forward towards'the sea, they let nothing
escape them, eating up everything that was green and juicy; not only the lesser kinds
of vegetables, but the vine likewise, the fig-tree, the pomegranate, the palm, and the
apple-tree — even all the trees of the field, (Joel i. 12,) — in doing which they kept their
ranks like men of war, climbing over, as they advanced, every tree or wall that was in
their way ; nay, they entered into our very houses and bed-chambers, like so many
thieves. The inhabitants, to stop their pi’ogress, made a variety of pits and trenches all
over their fields and gardens, which they filled with water ; or else they heaped up
therein heath, stubble, and such like combustible matter, which they severally set on
fire upon the approach of the locusts. But this was all to no purpose; for the trenches
were quickly filled up, and the fires extinguished by infinite swarms succeeding one
another ; whilst the front was regardless of danger, and the rear pressed on so close
that a retreat was altogether impossible. A day or two after one of these broods was
in motion, others were already hatched to march and glean after them, gnawing off the
very bark and the young branches of such trees as had before escaped with the loss
only of their fruit and foliage. So justly have they been compared by the prophet
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
109
After this interesting description, the Doctor proceeds to observe
“ The locust, I conjecture, was the noisome beast, or the pernicious
destructive animal, as the original words may be interpreted, which,
with the sivord, the famine, and the pestilence, made the four sore
judgments that were threatened against Jerusalem, Ezek. xiv. 21.
The Jews were allowed to eat them; and indeed when sprinkled
with salt, and fried, they are not unlike in taste to our fresh-water
cray-fish.
The Acridophagi* no doubt, were fond of eating them; in so
t
Joel (ii. 3,) to a great army ; who furthei* observes, that the land is as the garden of
Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness.
Having lived near a month in this manner, like a //.e^toaroixov or sword with
ten thousand edges, to which they have been compared, upon the ruin and destruction
of every vegetable substance that came in their way, they arrived at their full growth,
and threw off their nympha-state, by casting their outward skin. To prepare them-
selves for this change, they clung by their hinder feet to some bush, twig, or corner of
a stone, and immediately, by using an undulating motion, their heads would first break
out, and then the rest of their bodies. The whole transformation was performed in
seven or eight minutes ; after which they lay for a small time in a torpid, and seem-
ingly languishing, condition ; but as soon as the sun and the air had hardened their
wings, by drying up the moisture that remained upon them, after casting their sloughs,
they re-assumed their former voracity, with an addition both of strength and agility. Yet
they continued not long in this state before they were entirely dispersed, as their parents
were before, after they had laid their eggs ; and as the direction of the marches and
the flights of them both was always to the northward, and not having strength, as they
have sometimes had, to reach the opposite shores of Italy, France, or Spain, it is pro-
bable they perished in the sea ; a grave which, according to these people, they have in
common with other winged creatures.”
* Diodorus has given a very interesting description of the mode of catching locusts
practised by the Acridophagi (or locust-eaters), as well as of the dreadful consequences
produced by a too frequent use of them as articles of food.
Psidias apiid Boch. Hieroz, par. ii. p. 411.
110
JOURNEY FROM
much as they received their name from thence.” — He further adds —
“ The ax^ihg, which St. John the Baptist fed upon in the wilder-
ness, were properly locusts ; and provided they appeared in the holy
land during the spring, as they did in Barbary, it may be presumed
that St. John entered upon his mission, and that the da^ of his
sheicing himself unto Israel (Luke i. 20) was at that season
Pliny has informed us that the locusts lay their eggs in autumn,
which remain all the winter in the fissures of the earth, and come
forth in the shape of locusts in the following spring ; being, at first,
without legs, and obliged to creep upon their wings. He tells us
that they invaribly choose tracts of level country in which to deposit
their eggs, as being most full of crevices and fissures, and hence, if it
chance to be a rainy season, the eggs never come to perfection ;
but, on the contrary, if the early part of the year should be dry, vast
numbers of these insects may be expected in the summer ensuing.
Some writers (he adds) are of opinion that locusts breed ticice in the
year, and that they perish as often ; the first supply dying in the heat
of the summer, and the second immediately succeeding them. The
mothers die as soon as they have brought forth their young, by reason
of a small worm which breeds about the throat, and ultimately chokes
them. The same author informs us that it is said there are locusts in
India so much as three feet in length ; and that the people of the
* The time when we observed the swarm of locusts alluded to above, was In the
latter end of November ; their course, as Dr. Shaw has remarked, was, however, inva-
riably towards the sea, in which myriads of them were lost ; and we have never seen a
single instance, on other occasions, where they did not take that direction, however far
they might have been inland.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
Ill
country use their legs and thighs for saws, after they are properly dried !
Pliny mentions, at the same time, their flight across the sea, over
which they are carried by the wind, and where they usually fall, and
perish in heaps ; although this is not always of necessity the case, as
early writers (he says) have remarked, because their wings are wet
with the dew ; for they have been known to pass over extensive
tracts of sea, and will continue their flight for many days without
rest. Locusts, he adds, are gifted with the power of foreseeing
an approaching famine, and will take the precaution, on such an
occasion, of transporting themselves into distant countries. He men-
tions also the noise which they make with their wings, and that
they are sometimes mistaken for flights of strange birds : that they
darken the sun in their flight, as if a heavy cloud had passed before
it, and spread terror and consternation wherever they make their
appearance ; eating up everything which comes in their way, and
even gnawing the very doors of the houses. Italy, on this writer’s
authority, was so much infested with locusts from the opposite shores
of Africa, that the people of Kome, alarmed at the idea of their
producing a famine, had been often obliged to consult the books of
the Sibyls, to discover by what means they might avert the wrath
of the gods which they considered to be falling upon them. He
teUs us that in the Cyrenaica there existed a law, olsliging the in-
habitants, every third year, to wage a regular war with the locusts :
on such occasions they were ordered to seek out their nests, to
destroy the eggs and the young, and afterwards to proceed to
extirpate such as had already come to maturity.
112
JOURNEY FROM
A heavy punishment, at the same time, was inflicted upon those
who neglected this useful precaution, as though they had been
guilty of an unpardonable crime against their sovereign and their
country. In Lemnos, also, there was a measure estabhshed to
regulate the quantity which each man should kill ; and every
person was obhged to give in his account to the magistrate, and to
produce his measure full of dead locusts*.
It may easily be conceived, from these relations, what conster-
nation and dismay is excited among the inhabitants of a cultivated
country by the appearance of a large swarm of locusts. The
mischief, however, occasioned at Mesurata by those which we have
mentioned above, was not by any means so great, we are happy to
say, as might have been reasonably expected : and the Arabs of the
place were soon as busily employed in eating their formidable
invaders, as they had at first been in preserving their crops from
experiencing a similar fate.
On the 2nd December, after repeated promises and disappoint-
ments, our camels at length arrived ; and having made suitable
presents to Shekh Belcazi and his son, we prepared to continue our
journey. We had few difficulties to encounter in our dealings
with the people of Mesurata ; and we must confess that we found
in their Shekh, notwithstanding his occasional evasions, more open-
ness and honesty than are usually met with in the inhabitants of
Mahometan countries.
* Nat. Hist. lib. xi. c. 29.
Jilblishfii Mivi-H 2S27. htj J'ohri' Afmt'ay, J^ritiort .
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
113
CHAPTEll VI.
Entrance of the Syrtis — Extensive Lake, or Marsh, described by Strabo — Remarks of Strabo
compared with the actual appearance and extent of the Marsh — Remains considered as those
of the ancient Naval Station, described by Strabo, at the Mouth of the Lake — Appear-
ance of another Station more to the northward — Gulf of Zuca— Remarks of Signor Della
Celia connected with it — Resemblance of the names Zuehis and Zuca — Non- existence of
the Gulf of Zuca in the Greater Syrtis— Error of D’Anville and modern Geographers
on this point — Remarks of Signor Della Celia on the terms Marsh and Lake, as applied
to the body of water mentioned by Strabo — Dimensions of the existing Marsh Alleged
danger of crossing it — Insulated spots in several parts of the Marsh, corresponding with
the accounts of Strabo — Arrival at Sooleb — Appearance of Pasturage in this neighbour-
hood— Liberality of Shekh Mahommed — Cause of it ascertained — Sooleb occupies the place
assigned in modern charts to the Gulf of Zuca — Continuance of the Marsh Remains
near Mahada called Kusser el Jebbah — Story connected with them related by the Dubbah
Unwillingness of our Arab Guides to cross the Marsh Cause of this ascertained
Narrow escape of two of our party— Nature of the soil in this neighbourhood— French
Inscription left by the boats of the Chevrette— Another left by the barge of the Adven-
ture— Arrive at Mahad Hassan, probably the Turris Hassan of Edrisi — Remains at
Mahad Hassan— Arrive at Giraff, where the Marsh terminates altogether— Refractory con-
duct of our Camel-drivers — Improvement in the appearance of the country — Arrival at
Zaffran— Grateful verdure of its Pasturage— Remains at Zaffran considered as those of
Aspis — Their nature and appearance described — Port called Mersa ZafFrkn considered as
that of Aspis — Difficulties attending this position — Remains on the Beach — Supposed Date
of the Buildings at Zaffran— Remarks connected with them— Castles mentioned by Leo
Africanus — Construction of the Forts at Zaffrhn.
On quitting the groves and gardens of Mesurata for the wilds
of the Greater Syrtis, the first object which presents itself, in the
level tract of country already mentioned, is the extensive marsh
described by Strabo as occurring after the Cephalas Promonto-
rium. It has not now the character of an uninterrupted sheet of
water, as it appears to have had when seen by this geographer,
Q
114
JOURNEY FROM
but spreads itself in pools over a wide tract of country, and commu-
nicates occasionally with the sea. Many of these pools, are, how-
ever, some miles in extent, and were they deep enough would
deserve the appellation of lakes. ^Vhen we passed along the marsh
the rainy season had not commenced although a good deal of rain had
fallen, and it is probable that, at the close of it, the greater number
of the pools are collected into much larger masses. While at
Tripoly, Shekh Mahommed was anxious for our departure chiefly on
account of this morass, which he represented as being very danger-
ous, if not wholly impassable, after the long continuance of heavy
rains. The dimensions given by Strabo are three hundred stadia for
the length, and seventy for the breadth of the marsh, or lake, which
he describes ; and these measurements correspond quite sufficiently
with the appearance of that which actually exists ; its length, from
Mesurata to Sooleb, being little less than forty miles, and its
breadth, from the sea inland, from nine and ten to fifteen. It does
not indeed finish wholly at Sooleb, but is contracted in passing that
place, to the narrow limits of two and three miles in width, and then
continues as far as Giraff. The great body of the marsh may how-
ever be considered as contained between Sooleb and Mesurata ; for
though it extends much further in length and widens itself again
after passing the former place, there is no part where it presents so
broad, and uninterrupted a surface, as in the space comprehended
within the measurements of Strabo, beginning from the Cephalas
Promontorium.
Strabo’s lake is stated to have enclosed several islands and to have
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
115
possessed an vtpo^fji.o? or naval station, at the point of communication
with the Gulf*. Several insulated spots are certainly still observable
in various parts of the existing marsh ; but there are no remains of
building which can be attributed to the station mentioned, except
those which occur in the neighbourhood of Mesurata. At the dis-
tance of about nine miles from that place, are the remains of a kind
of causeway of singular construction, extending inland to a length of
three hundred and thirty paces from the sea ; and forming, with a
rising ground on the opposite side of it, what may be called a a-rof^a, or
communication with the Gulf. The ruins appear to be those of a
landing-place ; and consist of a long causeway, or terrace, of about ten
feet in breadth f, which widens itself at regular intervals into squares,
from which descend flights of steps on either side of the causeway.
One end of it is washed by the sea, which has undermined it consi-
derably, and the whole structure is now little more than a heap of
ruins.
If this building have not been a landing-place or quay, we must
confess that we know not what use to assign to it ; and, admitting it
to have been one, it immediately becomes evident that it must have
been connected with some station for shipping.
I'he general character of the land along this part of the coast,
which rises higher than the level of the lake or morass, would pre-
* EKTTrXsovTt rm ixeyaXm Syg7iv, fAe7a ras T^slpaXai, Eft
TO /ATiJtor, ECSo//,»ixov7a Se to TrXaToy, ExJAsaa bis tov xoXwov, B%»aa xai nvisiac x.ai vifoqfjiov
itqo TH 90f/.a.ros. — Lib. 17, § 20.
+ The measurements are taken roughly, on account of the ruined state of the
structure.
Q 2
116
JOURNEY FROM
vent any communication between the marsh and the sea except in
this place and the one which we are about to mention. In this place,
particularly, such connexion seems formerly to have existed; for
here a passage still remains, through the higher land forming the
separation, by means of which the waters of the lake might have
emptied themselves into the sea, and on one side of this channel is
the structure in question which we have supposed to be a landing
place. The small vessels of the ancients might have entered this
passage, and have found sufficient shelter behind the high land*
which formed it ; on the inner side of which they might also have
been hauled up when the current through the channel was too
strong for them to remain afloat f .
Nearer to Mesurata, a little to the southward of the Marabut of
Sidy Abou Shaifa, are the remains of what seem to have been a small
fort or station : its outer walls enclose a square of about an hundred
feet and there are vestiges of smaller walls within, which appear to
have divided it into several compartments. On the north-western side
there are some small blocks ol stone, about two feet square, which
seem to have been the abutments of arches formerly supporting
the roof of the building ; and which are about eight feet distant from
* No part of this land can properly be called high — but only by comparison with
the lower level of the mai'sh.
•}• It was not, however, necessary, in places of this kind, that the vessels should be
drawn upon shore ; for vtpo^/xos- is the term here employed by feti’abo, and the oi
v(poqfxoi, were somewhat similar to our own docks, and consisted of walls parallel with
each other, between which vessels would be perfectly secure from wind and waves, as
well as from the effects of strong current.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
117
each other. These remains, forming at present nothing more than an
imperfect ground-plan, are situated on a low rising ground close to
the sea ; and between them and point Abou Shaifa the lake may
have communicated with the gulf a little to the southward of the
point. There are also some slight remains of building in the neigh-
bourhood of this place, as well as in that of the causeway, occupying
the low range which runs along the coast : but from the presence of
the landing-place, at the communication first mentioned, we should
be disposed to adopt it in preference to that at Abou Shaifa, as the
<rTO(j(.a, or mouth, of the lake mentioned by Strabo.
Signor Della Celia, in stating that the lake or marsh which we
have mentioned, is the same with that laid down by D’Anville and
other modern geographers, under the title of Gulf of Zuca, or Succa,
has instanced the passage above quoted from Strabo in confirmation
of this opinion. But the Gvdf of Zuca is represented as an inlet, or
creek, of not more than four miles across in any part of it ; while
Strabo’s lake is in width more than double that distance, and seems
to bear no other resemblance to the gulf than that of having a com-
munication with the sea. If, therefore, the Gulf of Zuca, as D’Anville
himself has stated, be actually laid down on the authority of Strabo,
we should rather look for its origin in another passage of this
geographer which occurs before the one we have quoted. In this
passage Strabo describes a Lake Zuchis, to which he attributes the
peculiarity of a narrow entrance at the point of communication with
the sea ; while he merely states, in his description of the lake we
have first mentioned, that it emptied itself into the Gulf (of the
Greater Syrtis).
118
JOURNEY FROM
The similarity of the names of Zuchis and Zuca and the narrow
width which is given to the latter would certainly appear to be in
favour of our suggestion ; but then the Lake Zuchis is in the Lesser
Syrtis, near the town of the same name which Strabo has mentioned
as being famous for its purple dye and its saltworks ; and in pointing
it out as that intended by D’Anville, we must suppose that this
geographer has confounded the two passages of Strabo, and, con-
sequently, the two lakes, together. As this, however, appears (at
least to us) very probable, from the reasons which we have men-
tioned above, we will submit to our readers the two passages in
question on which our supposition is founded, and proceed to con-
sider the lake first alluded to as wholly distinct from the Gulf of
Zuca, to which it has really no sufficient resemblance to authorize
us in supposing them to be the same.
We may state at the same time, in positive terms, that no inlet
now exists in any part of the Greater Syrtis which resembles the
Gulf of Zuca in question ; and that it might certainly be altogether
expunged from the charts, without the least impropriety ; unless
indeed its position be shifted from the Greater, to the Gulf of the
Lesser, Syrtis.
* Mstcc Se rm SygTiv (the Lesser Syrtis is here meant,) syi Xi/avw rsrpa-
jtoTiiwv, fEvov sx»i7a Ei(TwX.«v, Jtai •TTas')’ ccvrm TtoXts oixmvi/,os •Ko^(pvqaQixipsiix Ej^sjua xai ratqi%SKx.s
Travro^oc’TTas' — (Lib. 17, ^ 18.)
D’Anville’s words are these — “ Strabon parle d’un grand lac debouchant dans la
Syrte, et ce lac forme une saline dont 1’ entree est nomm^e la Succa." — (G6og. Ancienne,
tom. 3, p. 70.)
The circumstance of there being saltworks in the Mesurata lake, as well as in that
of the Lesser Syrtis, will tend to strengthen the idea of their having been confounded.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
119
It must be confessed, at the same time that the reasoning of
Signor Della CeUa on the words Xif^riv and vcpo^i^og does not appear to
be very satisfactory ; for even if we allow that the precise meaning
of v<po^(Mg may be open to conjecture, it seems evident that it implied
a shelter of some kind for vessels, whether or not it might be con-
sidered to mean actually a port ; which is the signification that
we should be disposed to attach to it in the passage of Strabo in
question*. We do not, either, see why the word in the same
passage may not be rendered lake, as weU as marsh ; for it is cer-
tainly used in that sense in many instances as well by Strabo as
other Greek writers ; and there seems to be no reason why the
marsh which we are describing may not have been in Strabo’s time a
lake, particularly as he mentions it to have had a naval station
{v^o^ixog) at its entrance, which could scarcely have been the case
had it been nothing more than a marsh.
As a general description of the marsh above mentioned, we
* We even feai' that to make the reasoning of Signor Della Celia at all consistent with
itself, we must be obliged to suppose that he has again stated exactly the contrary of
what he appears to have intended. His words are, “ Quanto alia stazione che rimaneva
probabUmente alia sua imboccatura (meaning the mouth of the lake, or marsh in ques-
tion). Non pud realmente dirsi che fosse porto, servendosi Strabone della voce y(pog;/.ov
per porto e non di Xiptvn (Xi/^nv is intended) la qual voce malamente trovasi tradutta
da Buonaccinoli per molo. Cosi passo e passo a conto di Strabone si e fatto un porto e
non e tosto mancato che le ha guarnito di molo.” (p. 75-6.) As i/(po§/xov, and not
is the word used by Strabo in the passage in question, the deduction of Signor Della
Celia may scarcely be made without reversing the words as we have stated.
Strabo distinguishes between Xiix-nv and in the following passage — speaking of
the coast of the Cyrenaica from Apollonia to the Catabathmos — av ‘n»w
Kxi 0X1701 xai t/ipog/xoi nai >i*Toi>ti«i x«i ySgsiai.— (Lib. 17, § 22.)
120
JOURNEY FROM
should say that it commences at Mesurata, and extends southward
along the coast as far as GiralF; occupying altogether a space of 101
miles by 15, and narrowing towards its southern termination. A
small part of the marsh only was covered with water when we
crossed it ; but from the alternate laminae of salt and alluvial deposite
as well as from the numerous small shells principally of the trochus
kind, which cover its surface, it is evident that the sea at times
wholly inundates it. Our guides were always desirous that we
should not deviate from the track, and were constantly representing
to us the danger there was of sinking, with all the usual hyperbole of
Arab description. As we suspected, however, that they only made
difficulties in order to save themselves the trouble of attending us in
our excursions, we paid but little attention to their observations of
this nature ; and continued to cross the marsh, whenever our duties
rendered it necessary that we should examine either the coast or the
country beyond it, taking no other precautions than those of keeping
in such places as appeared to ourselves to offer the firmest footing.
The crusted surface occasionally gave way under our horses’ feet, and
discovered hollow spaces of various depths underneath, at the bottom
of which appeared water : but as none of our party ever sank in
very deeply, we concluded that these hollows were too trifling to be
dangerous, and continued to cross the marsh wherever it seemed
practicable, till experience at length convinced us that a portion of
truth was mixed up with the exaggerated accounts of our guides,
and induced us to use more precaution.
Many insulated spots, both of earth and of sand, are conspicuous
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
121
in different parts of the marsh; and most of these places are
honoured with a name by their Mahometan visitors or occasional
inhabitants. The road, if such we may call it, either winds along
the margin of these little islands, or traverses them, when necessary
for greater security. The first of these which occurs, after leaving
Mesurata, is the little oasis called Towergah ; lying out of the track
at a distance of seven or eight miles from the coast : it has a village,
and a considerable plantation of date-trees.
A little beyond this is said to be another small insulated spot
called Wady Haifa, where date-trees are also to be found ; but this
was not in sight from the immediate neighbourhood of the coast.
The surface of the marsh, in the direction of these places, presents a
smooth, unvaried level, as far as the eye can reach, wholly destitute
of any vegetation ; it consists entirely of an incrustation of salt and
alluvial deposit. In following the route along the coast, the first
rising ground which occurs, of any tolerable dimensions, is Melfa*;
where are the remains of an old, dilapidated Mardbht, and
occasionally a patch of vegetation, affording a scanty supply to a few
miserable-looking goats.
To this succeeds Sooleb, which we have already pointed out as
the southern limit of the marsh, according to the dimensions given
Arar occurs before Melfa ; but, though a good deal above the level of the mar
It cannot well be considered as an island, but is rather a continuation of the little range
of high land which we have mentioned as running along the coast in the neighbourhood
of the causeway. It consists wholly of heaps of sand, overspread occasionally with vege-
tation, and is remarkable as possessing a tall and solitary date-tree, the only one to be
met with on the coast of the Syrtis, in a tract of more than four hundred miles.
R
122
JOURNEY FROM
by Strabo; and where that part of the low ground, which could, at any
time, be covered with water, is too narrow to interfere with the gene-
ral character of the geographer’s lake. Sooleb has the advantage of
some tolerable pasturage, and is in consequence occupied by flocks of
sheep and goats, the property of several Arab Shekhs, and which
are chiefly tended by negro slaves, who dwell in scattered tents with
the animals confided to their charge. The sight of a little vegetation
was by no means unwelcome to us after the dismal prospect afforded
by the barren flats we had just passed ; and the dreary uncultivated
wilds of Sooleb assumed, by comparison, some appearance of interest,
to which Sahsbury plain or Newmarket heath might perhaps be
more justly entitled ; and which a draught or two of milk, that we
were able to procure there, may probably have in some degree contri-
buted to heighten. This refreshment was here more peculiarly wel-
come, as the water of Sooleb is too bitter, brackish, and stinking, to
be drank without the greatest disgust : the purchase of a lamb, also,
added meat to our board, which we had not tasted since we left Me-
surata. In addition to these luxuries, we received a present from
Shekh Mahommed, of a bowl of cuscusu, and another of bazeen ;
and his liberahty was equally extended to the whole of our party.
We were at a loss, when the smoking dishes were ushered into our
tent, escorted by no less a person than the Dhbbah himself, to con-
jecture what could possibly have occurred to occasion this display of
Arab munificence ; but we soon learnt that Sooleb was the northern
limit of the district of Syrt, and that we had entered the territory
over which the Dhbbah presided; who had in consequence taken these
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
123
means of making us acquainted with the circumstance, and of testify-
ing his friendly disposition, together with his magisterial importance.
After quitting Sooleb, which, we may here observe, occupies the
place assigned in modern charts to the Gulf of Zuca, we entered
again upon marshy ground, and continued our route to Mahkda*; a
tract of rising ground about forty or fifty feet above the. level of
the marsh, and terminating in a declivity towards the sea, and in
perpendicular cliffs on its inland extremities. Near Mahdda we
perceived the remains described in Della Celia as those of an old
castle. They are situated on a spot of rising ground surrounded by a
dangerous marsh, and can only be safely approached by following the
few narrow tracks winding along the edges of the hollows which
abound in it. This building is a gusser*, or kusser, highly venerated
by the Arabs of the Syrt, and takes its name of Gusser el Jebha
from the son of a celebrated Marabut, of whom Shekh Mohammed
related to us the follovidng story.
Sinessah, a holy man of the neighbouring territory of Esha, pos-
sessed of great influence and property, bequeathed to the inhabit-
ants of Esha and Sooleb, some three hundred years since, the
* The noxious qualities of the night air in these swampy regions were occasionally
severely felt by our party ; one of our servants was seized with a fever while at Sooleb,
and we were apprehensive that he would not be able to proceed for some days ; but after
being bled rather copiously he found himself better, and was the next day in condition
to travel with the camels. The atmosphere after sunset was always very chilly in the
Syrtis, and there was usually a heavy deposit of dew ; a very offensive smell was also
experienced in many parts of the marsh.
t Gusser is a term indiscriminately applied by the Arabs to ruins of every description.
124
JOURNEY FROM
privilege of paying no tribute or duty : this charter, we were
assured, has continued to the present time, and is said to be still
respected by the Bashaw, and to extend itself to the posterity of
these people, whether they settle in their native places, or in any
other part of the country between Mesurata and Syrt.
Jebha, the son of this celebrated Mar^but, conceived the project
of estabhshing a convenient communication between the two lakes,
or marshes, or, more properly speaking, between the two parts of the
same marsh, and fixed upon the rising ground which is occupied by
the gusser as the spot best qualified for the purpose. He accord-
ingly made known this proposal to his friends, and conducted a little
party to establish themselves on the eminence.
But the people of Tbwergah, aware of this intention, and jealous
of the colony about to be planted by Jebha, stole upon them in the
night, and attacking them unexpectedly, massacred the whole of the
party. To commemorate the project of the unfortunate Jebha, and
the trasical event which attended it, the little structure in question
O
was raised by the people of Esha, and called after the name of their
benefactors ; while he, and the party which accompanied him, were
buried round the consecrated building. Gusser el Jebha consists ot
three narrow, vaulted chambers, parallel and communicating with
each other, and which are entered by a door in the central one.
They are about twenty feet in length, and no more than five in
breadth, and are rudely constructed with unhewn stones arranged
with tolerable regularity. The cement is mud with a little mixture
of lime, and the vaulted ceilings are coated with plaster from the
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
125
spring of the arch upwards, and ornamented with a pattern raised
from the surface ; the lower parts of the interior walls are at present
wholly bare, and do not appear to have been coated. The outer
parts of the building are now a mass of ruin, and the form of the
external roof is not to be ascertained ; at least we were not able to
make it out.
A day or two before our arrival at Jebha, Chaous Mahmoud, one
of the Arabs of the Dubbah’s party, had stoutly refused to accompany
us across the marsh ; but after having been severely reprimanded,
and threatened with the loss of his pay, the punishment most
dreaded by an Arab, he consented to go, provided we would allow
him to leave his own horse with the camels, and take one belonging
to our party.
This arrangement being acceded to, we trotted on in advance,
telling him to follow as soon as he was mounted ; but he continued
to busy himself about the saddle and stirrups, making one little
difficulty after another, till we were nearly out of sight ; and then,
mounting the horse which he had exchanged for his own, he galloped
round the marsh in another direction, to meet us as rre arrived on
firmer ground.
On coming up with us he began to make excuses for his conduct,
and declared, like a true Arab, that his life was at our service, and
that he was ready to risk it for us on aU occasions ; but his horse,
he said, was his friend and companion, and he could not bear the
idea of losing him in the marsh, which he was certain he should
have done if he had rode him across it in the direction which we
126
JOURNEY FROM
had pointed out. His regard for our property had at the same
time, he added, prevented him from risking the horse he then rode,
and not any regard for his own personal safety, which was at all
times indifferent to him in the performance of his duty. Perceiving,
however, that this gasconade, dehvered with all the vehemence which
he could muster for the occasion, was not producing the effect which
he desired, he called the Prophet to witness the truth of his asser-
tions, and swore that we had had a most miraculous escape in
having been enabled to reach the ground we then stood upon in
safety. There was nothing to be said against such solemn assevera-
tions ; and we contented ourselves with telling him, in the language
of his own religion, that what is destined to happen cannot be averted ;
that there was no occasion to fear, either for his horse or himself, if
the time of their deaths were not come ; and that if the fatal hour
had really arrived, no precautions whatever could retard it.
At the same time we declared that the marsh, in our opinion,
was not so dangerous as he had represented, and that we thought he
might cross it, in most directions, without incurring the charge of
tempting Providence too far. Mahmoud shook his head as if he did
not believe it, but said no more upon the subject ; and he perhaps
thought we were more obstinate than wise in having so often refused
to be regulated by his advice.
Kepeated success wiU, however, at all times give confidence, even
under the consciousness of danger ; and it is not to be wondered at
that we should so often have attempted the passage of the marsh,
believing, as we did, that there was little risk in doing so. But an
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
127
accident which occurred in the neighbourhood of Jebha convinced
us that more caution was necessary on these occasions ; and we were
afterwards surprised, not only at our numerous escapes, but at our
want of penetration in not having sooner perceived the danger to
which the nature of the marsh had exposed us. It is probable that
the frequent attempts of our guides to excuse themselves from any
service of difficulty or exertion, had prepared us to distrust them
on all subjects equally, and to overlook dangers for no other reason
than because they were mentioned to us by them. Truth is so
little regarded by an Arab, that when his interest or his comfort
will be promoted by a breach of it, he is always prepared with a
falsehood ; and it is difficult, even for those who are well acquainted
with his character, to tell when he is sincere in his assertions.
One of two things must necessarily result from this want of proper
feehng : they who place too much confidence in Arab sincerity will
continually be deceived and imposed upon, or they who distrust
it too far will on some occasions be liable to wish that they had been
less obstinate in their disbelief.
As two of our party were making their way across the marsh
(a few days after the conversation just related) to something which
bore the appearance of a ruin, the ground suddenly gave way
beneath the feet of the foremost horse, and discovered a hollow of
ten or twelve feet in depth, at the bottom of which appeared water.
The animal, who was galloping at the time, feeling the insecurity
of his footing, sprang violently forward with all the energy of terror,
and by this sudden exertion saved himself and his rider from
128
JOURNEY FROM
destruction ; for it would not have been possible to extricate either
from such a place, had there even been more persons at hand to
attempt it : the ground continued to crack and break away for
some distance farther, as the horse galloped on from the hole, and
a large aperture was soon formed in the crusted surface of the
marsh as the pieces fell in one after another. The whole extent of
the danger was not at first perceived by the rider who had so
narrowly escaped ; but the person who was following saw the chasm
which had been made, and wheeling his horse round in another
direction was just in time to avoid plunging into it. As this accident
occurred near the middle of the marsh, it was difficult to decide
upon the best path to be pursued, the surface being everywhere in
appearance the same ; but, in order that the weight might be more
equally divided, both riders dismounted, and continued to lead their
horses till they reached a firmer place. This was however no easy
matter ; as the poor animals were so terrified with their repeated
stumbles, that they could with difficulty be pulled along, and they
trembled so violently as to be almost incapable of keeping their legs,
for the surface frequently cracked and partially gave way in places
which appeared to be secure, and the parties were so often obliged
to alter their direction, that they almost despaired of being able to
bring off their horses. After much winding and turning, this was,
however, at length effected, and both horses and riders were heartily
glad to find themselves once more on firm ground. Nothing was
said to our guides of this accident, but it served to convince us that
their apprehensions of the marsh were not groundless, and we after-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
129
wards took the precaution of dismounting when we had occasion to
cross any part which was considered to be dangerous. We found on
examination that many hollow spaces of considerable depth and
extent existed in various parts of the marsh ; and that the crust of
salt and mud which covered them was sometimes no more than two
inches, and an inch and a half, in thickness.
These usually occurred in the most level parts, but as the crust
was everywhere in appearance the same, there were no means of
ascertaining where they existed, but by breaking the surface which
concealed them.
The water contained in these hollows w^as invariably salt, or very
brackish ; it was usually clear, and was in some places deep : the
depth of mud below the water must also have been sometimes con-
siderable, and the vacant space contained between the outer surface
of the marsh and the water was in various instances observed to be
as much as twelve and fifteen feet in depth. We had no means of
ascertaining the depth of the water in the hollow alluded to above ;
but the space between its surface and that of the marsh appeared
to be more than twelve feet, and, from the sound occasioned by
the fall of the pieces into it, its depth could scarcely have been less
than six or eight feet. In that part of the marsh which surrounds
the Gusser el Jebha the nature of these pits is very apparent ; for
the ground being unequal, and overgrown with reeds and brush-
wood, no crust has been formed over them, and their dimensions are
therefore easily ascertained. They are here very numerous, and it
would be scarcely possible to escape falling into them after dark, as
s
130
JOURNEY FROM
the paths which wind among them are sometimes not two feet in
breadth, and the edges of the pits are often concealed by the vege-
tation which surrounds them ; indeed many of these hollows are
wholly overgrown, and would not be perceived by a casual observer.
In crossing to the Gusser, we could not at first account for the
obstinacy of our horses in refusing to quit the path, which to us
appeared to wind in a most unnecessary manner, and made our
ride five or six times as long as it would have been if we could have
crossed to the ruin in a straight direction. But we soon found that the
animals were more quick-sighted than ourselves, and that the brush-
wood through which we attempted to push them concealed pits of
the nature already described, from many of which we could in all
probability have never been extricated, had we persevered in the
attempt to force our horses into them.
In our journey along the beach abreast of Mahada, we passed
many fragments of wrecks which the violence of the surf had thrown
far upon the shore; and observed a block of marble erected near the
sea, with the following inscription : —
LA GABORE DU ROl
LA CHEVRETTE
1821.
LAT. 31° 35', LONG. 13° 18'.
This had evidently been placed by the crew of the Chevrette, which
had quitted Tripoly a few months before, to survey the gulf of the
Greater Syrtis ; and we afterwards learned that one of the boats of
this vessel had been round it.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
131
In order to compare longitudes with Captain Gautier who com-
manded the Chevrette, an able and scientific officer, a base was mea-
sured at this place, and reduced to the spot where the block of marble
was erected ; both were then reduced to the conspicuous position of
Gusser el Jebha, and the comparisons were very satisfactory. A
few miles farther, we perceived a piece of timber placed upright on
the beach, and on examining it found some writing upon it in
English, which stated that, on the 24th of October, His Majesty’s
ship Adventure was lying eighteen miles to the northward of it-
This we knew must have been left by the barge of the Adventure,
which had been despatched by Captain Smyth, under the command
of Mr. Elson, to proceed along the coast as far as it might be prac-
ticable ; and we were glad to perceive, in these dreary and desolate
regions, some traces of our English friends. Our party was soon
collected round this old shattered post, and every one employed in
searching for more writing, with all the eagerness of an antiquary
poring over some valuable inscription. Nothing more was, however,
to be discovered, and we took our leave of it with an interest at which
we could not help smiling, when we looked at the ragged piece of
timber which had excited it. On the evening of this day we pitched
the tents at Jereed, a name bestowed by the Arabs upon some low and
barren hills of sand-stone, for everything with them has a name : off
this place lie some dangerous shoals, which broke, although the sea
was tolerably quiet*. As the wind was blowing on shore, and the
* Monsieur Lautier has some remarks upon this part of the gulf, which do not appear
to be very intelligible. — See the account of his voyage in Della Celia, p. 216. These
observations are alluded to in the hydrographic remarks attached to the journal.
132
JOURNEY FROM
shoals beginning to shew themselves distinctly, we were desirous of
remaining a day at Jereed, in order to mark their direction more
minutely in the chart, particularly as it appeared, from the erection
of the post above mentioned, that Captain Smyth had left the coast ;
but we found upon inquiry, that our horses would in this event be four
days w ithout drinking, and we were consequently obliged to proceed.
We continued our route along the base of a low ridge of hills, at the
back of which we observed a continuation of the great marsh, which
was here very considerably narrowed ; and arrived in the evening at
Mahad Hassan, a little oasis which rises from the bed of the marsh,
and consists of a few hills partially covered with pasturage. In the
valleys between these we observed some wild olive-trees, and many
remains of buildings were scattered over the ground in all direc-
tions *. Mahad Hassan is the first place after the long tract of
marshy land which has any appearance of an ancient site. Its
remains consist of a number of small quadrangular buildings, similar
to the fortresses observable at the different stations all the way from
this point to Derna. They are in a very dilapidated state, and it is
difficult to say for what purpose they were intended. They seem
to be too numerous and too close together to have been forts, though
their form very closely resembles them ; and they are by no means
well calculated for dwelling-houses, unless we suppose it to have been
necessary that every family should have its castle, unconnected with
that of its neighbour, in which it was regularly intrenched. These
* Edrisi has mentioned a tower called Hassan, which he places at four days’ journey
from the western point of the Syrtis — and Mahad Hassan is four days’ journey from
Mesurata, at the rate of between thirteen and fourteen geographical miles per day.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
133
little structures occupy the plains as well as the rising ground, and
are in general from fifty to seventy and a hundred feet square; their
height cannot now be ascertained, even from a computation of the
quantity of rubbish with which each is surrounded, for the Arabs
remove the stones to different places in the neighbourhood to built
the rude tombs of their Mar^buts and relations ; many of which are
raised on the site of the buildings themselves, and might sometimes
be confounded with the original plan. Shrubs and bushes have
overgrown the greater part of these ruins, and rooted themselves
firmly in the masses of fallen stones, frequently at the height of
twelve and fifteen feet from the ground. None of them are at pre-
sent more than rude heaps of shattered stones, and the eye in passing
over the spot would scarcely detect any regular plan, which is only
indeed observable on attentive examination. Among the buildings
may be seen a few wells, in one of which we had been told we should
probably find a httle sweet water, a luxury we had not enjoyed since
we left Ar4r, as the water in the marshy ground is both salt and
stinking. We were rather disappointed, however, on reaching it, to
find that we had been anticipated by our Arab escort, who had rode
on before on pretence of reconnoitring the country, and of endea-
vouring to procure some provision. It was evident at the same time,
by the print of their horses’ hoofs, that they had not been contented
with allaying their own thirst, but had satisfied also that of their
horses, till the last drop of water was expended. At Mahad Hassan
we found an Arab tent, and managed to procure a little milk from
an old woman who dwelt in it with her two sons. These people were
134
JOURNEY FROM
the only living things we had seen, jackalls, gazelles, and water-fowl
excepted, since we quitted the little encampment at Sooleb. Sixteen
miles south of Mahad Hassan, the marsh finishes at Giraff ; we
arrived there on the night of the 1 1th, and pitched the tents upon
some sand-hills bordering a plain thickly covered with low brushwood,
which extended as far as the eye could reach, and from its green
appearance seemed to promise some signs of habitation. Our
journey across the marsh had been monotonous and uninteresting in
the extreme ; no objects had appeared to enliven the scene, and
no sounds were heard but the voices of our own camel-drivers, and the
tiresome unvaried songs of our Arab escort, which usually consisted
of no more than three or four words, repeated eternally without any
change of tone, and apparently without the consciousness of the
performers themselves.
The only sounds which broke in upon the stillness of the night
were the prayers of our friend the Dbbbah as he chanted them at
intervals in a low and drousy tone, and the howhngs of his name-
sakes *, who prowled about the tents, occasionally mingled with the
shriller cries of the jackalls.
We had passed a tolerably comfortable night at Giraff, and were
preparing to proceed early on our journey the following morning,
when, to our no small surprise, we found that the camel-drivers
refused to load their camels, and, on inquiring the cause of this
strange behaviour, we were told they would not proceed any farther,
* We have already stated that Shekh Mahommed was called el Dubbah, or the
Hyaena.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
!85
unless we paid them their wages each day in advance. As this had
not been our agreement with the Shekh of Mesurata, who had hired
them for us at that place, we refused to comply with this ill-timed
demand, for which there appeared to be no reason whatever. We
well knew the impolicy of paying Arabs in advance, which is in fact
giving up the best hold which can be acquired upon their conduct ;
and had the demand been even made with a much better grace, we
should not certainly have comphed with it. In the present case
we refused it most decidedly, and told the mutineers that we should
abide by our agreement and expected that they would keep theirs :
we added that we were determined at all events to proceed, and that
if they persisted in refusing to load the camels we should do so
without farther ceremony ourselves. They made no reply, but
instead of doing their duty, they all walked away together to a little
eminence a few yards distant, where they were presently joined by
all our Arab escort, with the exception of the Dhbbah ; and began to
prime their guns very ceremoniously, charging such of them with ball
as did not happen to be already loaded. W^e took no other notice of
this Arab manoeuvre than by having our own fire-arms in readiness,
and proceeded immediately to load the camels ourselves, in which we
were assisted by the Bashaw s Chaous, the Dbbbah all the while
recommending us to comply with the demands of the malcontents.
This we told him, however, we were determined not to do ; and re-
proached him at the same time with the unfriendly part which he was
himself taking on the occasion. It here became evident how little de-
pendence was to be placed upon Shekh Mahommed el Dubbah and
136
JOURNEY FROM
his company, and we were glad to have discovered this circumstance
so early, as it might prevent us from relying upon their co-operation,
in cases of greater importance. We did not much expect that the
Arabs would proceed to extremities, but our party, at all events, was
quite as strong as theirs, and we were determined to carry our point.
When the Camels were loaded, and we were about to drive them
off, the warmth of our opponents had abated; for an Arab very
easily makes up his mind to submission when he finds that the
chances are not greatly in his favour ; and they follow ed our party
without offering further resistance, resuming by degrees their cus-
tomary occupations. A little beyond Giraft’ is a small ravine or wady,
called Ghebaiba, the banks of which present the only cultivation
which is to be found in this neighbourhood ; and near it,- on a little
rising ground, are the remains of some building, too much in ruin to
admit of any satisfactory description, and which bears the same
name as the wady. As we passed over the plain which occurs after
Giraff, the country began to assume a more pleasing aspect. Instead
of the dreary, level surface of the marsh over which we had lately
travelled, we now passed over a succession of undulating ground,
covered with pasturage, among which appeared flocks of sheep and
goats, and here and there an Arab tent. But the most welcome
objects which this change of soil afforded were the wells of sweet
water which presented themselves at Zaffran, near one of which we
encamped for the night ; and after a few copious draughts, we soon
forgot the nauseous flavour of that which we had lately been drinking,
which nothing but necessity could have induced any one to swallow.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
137
We drew plentifully from the wells, which were very deep, and
allowed our horses and camels to drink freely ; a luxury which the
poor animals had not enjoyed since leaving Mesurata, as their allow-
ance even of the bad water had been necessarily limited, and for the
last four days they had been without any. This privation, though
not unusual in the Syrtis, was nevertheless severely felt by both
horses and camels ; and their breath during these intervals, particu-
larly that of the camel, became extremely heated and offensive*.
It is in this neighbourhood that we must look for the Aspis of
Strabo, which is mentioned by that geographer as occurring after the
lake, and for a port which he describes as the best in the Syrtis.
“After the lake (are his words) is a place (called) Aspis, and a
port (which is) the best of those in the Syrtisf.” The first remains
of building which occur after Sooleb (where the great body of the
lake has already been said to finish) are those at Mahad Hassan,
which is evidently an ancient site. To these remains succeed those
of Zaffran, which are more important, and are placed in a much more
desirable situation. They occur immediately after Giraff where the
marsh finishes altogether, and are situated in a country abounding
with pasturage, and furnished with a plentiful supply of sweet
water. Zaffrdn has been evidently a military station ; and it is
there that we began to perceive more clearly the nature of those
* The camel has been known to go as much as ten days without water, but they suffer
very much from an abstinence of three and four days.
t Msra Ss rm Xi/avuv totcqs ssrtv Astus, >tai Xi/ativ jtaXXiffToy twv ev Scglsi. Lib. 1/,
p. 836.
T
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JOURNEY FROM
numerous quadrangular buildings which are scattered in all direc-
tions over the Syrtis, in passing from Sooleb to Bengazi. These
structures may be said to commence at Mahad Hassan ; but they
assume at Zaffran the appearance of regular forts, and may there
be considered as the commencement ,of a chain of fortified posts
extending itself through the whole of the Syrtis*. They usually
occupy the higher grounds, although some of them are situated in
the plains, and are generally so placed as to have been originally
seen from each other. Indeed no opportunity appears to have been
neglected by the ancients of securing the advantages of pasturage
and water which occur in the regions of the Syrtis ; wherever these
exist we find fortresses erected, or regular stations established, which
would materially contribute to facihtate the march of troops and to
prevent at the same time the predatory incursions of the Arabs and
the establishment of their tribes in these desirable positions.
If it be considered necessary to fix the sight of the roTo? A<r«5 at
the first place where remains of ancient building are found, after the
lake which is laid down by Strabo, we must place it at Mahad
Hassan ; but if it must be identified with the port mentioned with
it, which does not seem, indeed, to be necessary, we are then obhged
to fix it at the first place where a port is to be met with, after the
termination of the marsh, and this wiU bring us to Mersa Zaffranf .
* Buildings of the same nature are also found in the Cyrenaica.
t Aspis is laid down in Ptolemy on the western side of the gulf, at about sixty miles
within the promontory of Triaeorium ; but this distance would only bring us within nine
miles of J aireed, and we have already stated that Mahad Hassan is the first place in the
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
139
The little port of this name is the first which occurs in passing
eastward from the Cephalas Promontorium, and the remains of
building which are found there, on the beach, will authorize the
conclusion that it has been used as such by the ancients*.
Its present appearance wiU however by no means entitle it to the
distinction of KoXhia-rog, (bestowed by Strabo upon Aspis, or the port
which succeeds it) ; for the Gulf of Syrtis, though ill supplied with
conveniences of this nature, has certainly ports of more consideration
than Mersa Zaffran.
We must at the same time recollect that the space required for the
vessels of the ancients was much less than would be necessary for
those of the present day, and the depth of water required for them
comparatively inconsiderable. The port at Zaffran is also much
less than formerly, and, like that at Lebida, nearly fiUed up with
sand ; so that although it cannot now be considered as a good one
(nor, indeed, in the present acceptation of the term, as any port at
all) it may certainly have afforded very good shelter and accommo-
dation for vessels such as those of the ancientsf. The remains on
Syrtis (travelling eastward) which can be considered as an ancient site. Strabo’s lake
finishes at Sooleb, but there are no remains of building in the neighbourhood of that
place, nor between it and Mahad Hassan.
* The naval station above mentioned, at the junction of Strabo’s lake with the sea, is
not styled Xt/ju-nv, but u(poqi^os ; and we may conclude from this circumstance that it was
formed by art, and not by any of those peculiarities of coast which usually constitute a fort.
t It is formed by a rocky projection, which appeared to have been partly natural
and partly artificial ; and though its inconsiderable size would not allow vessels in it to
ride clear of the surf in a gale of wind, yet in moderate weather there would be quite
sufficient shelter for them to load and unload ; and in the event of a gale they might
easily have been hauled up on the beach. — See the plan of Mersa Zafi’ran annexed.
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the beach are constructed with larger stones than are usually em-
ployed in the Syrtis, and, from what we could perceive of them, for
the tops only appear above the sand, have been built with more than
common attention to workmanship and regularity. Traces of
building may also be observed for nearly a mile from the Mersa to
the eastward, and the whole place is strewed with fragments of pot-
tery. Several stone troughs are lying on the beach, some of them
in an unfinished state ; they do not appear to have been intended
for sarcophagi, as their lengths vary from five to eight feet ; while
their breadth remains nearly the same, or from fifteen to eighteen
inches. Had our time and means allowed it we should have re-
mained a few days to excavate at Mersa Zaffran, and we had marked it
as one of the places to be examined on our return : there is little to
remove but sand, and it is by no means improbable that the results
of excavation at this place would be interesting. As Mersa Zaffran
appears to have been used as a port by the ancients, and is the
first which occurs after the marsh, we may fairly consider it as that
mentioned by Strabo with Aspis; and the remains at Zaffran are
probably those of Aspis itself, which we may conclude to have been
a mihtary post from the nature of the buildings which are found
there ; although the word toto? applied to it by Strabo, does not
necessarily imply any idea of fortification. No place worth selecting
for any advantages which it might afford could, however, have been
secure without some fortification ; and accordingly we find every
desirable position in the Syrtis provided with forts lor its defence,
which ensured, at once, the possession of the local advantages and a
communication with the adjacent inhabited places.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
141
It is difficult to fix any precise date to these buildings, but we
may perhaps conclude, with some appearance of reason, that the
greater number of them were erected by the Eomans under the
emperors, who possessed, at various times, the whole of the north
coast of Africa, and kept open an extensive communication along
the shores of the Mediterranean, as well as with some parts of the
interior *. The quadrangular form of these structures is the same
as that used by the Komans in their stations and encampments ; and
the small number of troops which was allotted by the empire for the
defence of Africa, made it peculiarly necessary that their garrisons
should be well intrenched -f-. It has been calculated that a square of
seven hundred yards was sufficient, according to the Roman method
of encampment, for containing a body of twenty thousand men ; and
a square of one hundred feet would, at that rate, suffice for the accom-
modation of nine hundred and fifty. The habitable parts of the forts
above mentioned very rarely exceeded a square of that size, and this
portion of the structure, in by far the greater number of them, seldom
* The tower of Euphrantas is however stated to have been a boundary fort under
the Ptolemies; and the fortress of Automala, at the bottom of the gulf, is mentioned
by Diodorus to have been in existence before the occupation of Gyrene by the first of
those princes. — See Strabo, lib. 17, and Diod., lib. 20.
f “ With regard to Egypt, Africa, and Spain, (says Gibbon, in describing the
distribution of the Roman forces,) as they were far removed from any important
scene of war, a single legion maintained the domestic tranquillity of these great pro-
vinces.”
“ We may compute (says the same writer) that the legion, which was itself a
body of six thousand eight hundred and thirty-one Romans, might, with its attendant
auxiliaries, amount to about twelve thousand five hundred men.”
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amounted to sixty feet. As the nature of the country rendered it ne-
cessary to lay up stores of provision, a part of each fortress must have
been set aside for that purpose, and it is probable that the greater
number of the forts did not contain more than from fifty to two hun-
dred men. The most perfect of those now remaining may perhaps have
been constructed in the time of the emperor Justinian, when the vic-
tories of Belisarius and Solomon had restored the Koman authority
in Africa : for it would then have been advisable to secure, by means
of forts, the advantages which arms had obtained. The privations
which were experienced by the array of Marcus Cato, in its march
across the regions of the Syrtis, make it appear extremely probable
that no stations or resting-places, had at that time been erected
within their limits ; and we may perhaps also infer that the for-
tresses of Euphrantas and Automala were not then available as places
of accommodation. Should this have been the case, some of the
forts and stations now existing, in various parts of the country in
question, may be reasonably attributed to the well-founded policy of
the emperors Augustus and Hadrian.
A regular and uninterrupted communication was, under these
princes, beginning to be firmly established with all parts of the
Roman empire ; and the intercourse which then existed between the
eastern and western parts of Northern Africa was much greater than
that which had obtained under the governments of the Greeks and
Carthaginians. The numerous native tribes who inhabited the coast
were perpetually at variance with their foreign invaders, and ever
ready to avail themselves of the slightest opportunity of harassing
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
143
their oppressors, or of recovering their ancient inheritance. It must
also be observed, that, however worthless and insignificant the regions
of the Syrtis might possibly appear, to the inhabitants of more
favoured countries, there are parts of them which must always have
been eagerly coveted by the wanderers of the desert which bounds
them to the southward ; since the advantages which they are occa-
sionally found to afford, though consisting merely in a little fresh
water, and a few spots of scanty vegetation, would naturally be
objects of great attraction to those who had seldom the opportunity
of finding either. From the sudden, but unskilful, attacks of these
people, the forts and stations of the Syrtis would have been suffi-
cient defence ; and they would also have been more convenient for
the troops than the usual Koman encampment, greatly contributing
at the same time, to facilitate the communication of one part of the
country with another, by ensuring a good supply of water, and serv-
ing as dep6ts for stores and provisions. We must not, however,
venture decidedly to assert, that the Syrtis was unprovided with
buildings of this nature before the occupation of the country by the
Romans ; for, without mentioning those of Euphrantas and Auto-
mala, we find that castles were in use among the natives of Northern
Africa before that period ; and if they are known to have been pre-
viously erected in other parts of the coast, they might equally have
existed in the Syrtis*.
* AtSvuiv Sa Toiy ss w^yovs xai ipgoygia (a TtoXXa. 5jv av rig xaraipat'yoi/ffiv. — Appian
Hiat. de rebus Punicis, lib. viii. p. 101.
Diodorus also speaks of their castles near the watering-places. — Lib. iii. p. 128.
Poir 5'a Si/vacTauf avTOJv zioXsii jj,ev ro auvoXov ovy(^ vTCapy^ovsi, nvgyoi Sa nXwiov tuv j/SaTtav,
air avs awoTiSavrai ra arXeova^ovra rvis cotp-nXiias.
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JOURNEY FROM
Many buildings of this nature appear to have remained in a tenable
state long after the conquest of Africa by the Mahometans ; for they
are frequently mentioned by Arab writers as having been occupied
by the natives; and wells still continued to be found within the
works, which could not be approached without the consent of the
garrison.
An instance in point may here be given from Leo Africanus, who
tells us that three castles were accidentally discovered, far in the
desert of Libya, about eighteen years before the time when he
related the following story: — “ The guide of a caravan (whose
name was Hamar) had missed the usual track, in consequence of a
complaint in his eyes ; and there being no other person in the whole
caravan who knew the road they ought to take but himself, he went
on, upon his camel, in advance of the party, and at every mile they
made he caused a handful of sand to be presented to him, which he
smelt, and then continued his journey. In this manner the caravan
continued to advance till they came within forty miles of the castles
above mentioned, near which there were five or six little hamlets,
and a profusion of excellent dates. The guide then addressed him-
self to those who were about him, and assured them that they were
in the neighbourhood of some inhabited place, but few of the party
believed what he said, for as they were at least four hundred and
eighty miles from Egypt, it was imagined, if indeed the assertion
should be true, that they must have moved back upon Angela.
On tbe third day, however, after this notice, they came in sight
of the three castles above mentioned ; and the people of the place,
surprised and alarmed at the appearance of so many strangers.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
145
retreated to the castles, where they shut themselves up, and refused
to supply the caravan with water, of which they were greatly in need.
As the wells were within the fortifications, there was nothing left for
the caravan, under these adverse circumstances, but to carry the
forts, and to supply themselves by force, or to continue their journey
across the desert, at the risk, perhaps the certainty, of perishing
with thirst. They soon determined to make an attack upon the
castles, which, after a slight engagement, they succeeded in carrying ;
and having obtained from the wells as much water as was necessarv,
they proceeded on their route across the desert*.”
In many of the forts which we visited in the Syrtis, one or two,
and sometimes more, wells were still visible within the works
(although, for the most part, they were filled up with mud and sand,
or with the rubbish of the fallen materials of the buildings) ; and
it is probable that all of them were originally provided with a con-
venience so essential to the garrison. In some cases we found
wells decidedly without the works, in places which appeared to be
wholly undefended; except we may suppose them to have been
within range of the archers and slingers from the walls, which did
not always appear to have been the case.
In such instances, however, we must not conclude that there were
originally no wells within the forts, because none are found there at
present ; for a single century of neglect would in many cases be
sufficient to account for the disappearance of a well altogether.
* Leo Africanus in Ramusio, quinta parte.
U
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We may observe with regard to the structure of these forts, that
some of them have the habitable part of the building (which is
always of a quadrangular form, and placed in the centre) surrounded
by a double wall of very solid work ; leaving a space between the
walls, of ten, twenty, and thirty feet, sometimes of more, in which
wells are occasionally found, and which may have served for the
accommodation of the horses, sheep, or cattle of the garrison.
Others have been built in one sohd mass, with sloping sides, resem-
bling the base of a pyramid, having only a square space left in the
centre for the accommodation of the troops and the stowage of
stores and provision. On these there is always a platform, and
sometimes two, the sides of which form a glacis at a slope of from
thirty to forty-five degrees, some of them being steeper than others :
it seems probable that a parapet originally existed on the platforms
of some of the forts, behind which the troops might more securely
encounter their enemies ; but on most of them there are now no
traces of any defence of this nature, and the platform is left exposed.
The lower platform is usually raised about ten and fifteen feet from
the ground, and the upper one about eight or twelve feet above that.
Trenches are rarely seen round the last mentioned buildings, but
those enclosed within walls usually possessed that additional defence.
Both are constructed with stone found in the neighbourhood, gene-
rally without any cement, particularly the sloping ones, although a
very good cement may sometimes be observed in them : the most
considerable forts are built with large and regularly-shaped stones,
while the more unimportant are composed of stones of unequal forms
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
147
and sizes, care being always taken, however, to leave a smooth sur-
face on the slope of the glacis, in order to make the ascent more
difficult. If we suppose that the greater number of these fortresses
were built as defences against the attacks of the predatory natives,
and not to resist the regular siege of a disciphned army, it may
certainly be allowed that they were well calculated to afford security
to their garrisons on such occasions ; but their resources must soon
have been exhausted by a continued blockade, the space enclosed
being inadequate to contain many stores or much provision. As,
however, there could scarcely have been any accommodation for
horses or cattle in the pyramidal-shaped forts, which are by far the
most numerous, more provision might certainly have been stowed
in them than would at first sight be imagined. From the extreme
height of the habitable part of these buildings in proportion to its
breadth, we may conclude that it possessed an upper story, or, it
may be, two ; for otherwise a great portion of space would be thrown
away : this fact, however, from their ruined state, could not be pro-
perly ascertained.
The roofs were most probably arched, for no wood is to be found
in the Syrtis, and large blocks of stone could not always be procured,
and would at any rate have been less convenient to employ than
the small ones, which might be used in the arches^. From the cir-
cumstance of finding no aperture in the sides of the buildings, we
* Arched roofs are also common in the forts of the Cyrenaica ; but the sides both of
the upper and lower stories, which fronted the centre, were probably left open, after
the manner of galleries.
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JOURNEY FROM
may conclude that the Hght was admitted from above ; and it is by
no means improbable that a space was left uncovered in the centre
for that purpose, this mode of building being common in hot
climates, and it would at all times have been easy to guard against
the inconvenience of rain, as the surface exposed would have been
inconsiderable.
No appearance of doors, or of apertures of any kind, is observable
in the sides of these structures ; and they must either have been
entered from the top, or by some subterranean communication.
There are instances still remaining, in the eastern parts of the Syrtis,
of fortresses more difficult of access than these, where they who
entered have evidently been drawn up with ropes by the persons
already stationed above ; and we may conclude, as no traces of
any subterranean entrance were discernible in the forts, which we
have just described, that they were entered in a similar manner.
In the walled forts we found entrances to the outer works by means
of gates, but could in no instance discover any door in the habitable
part.
We often wished for an opportunity of excavating some of these
buildings, that we might be enabled to give their plans more cor-
rectly ; but, as it was important to secure the coast-line before the
rainy season set in, we did not think ourselves justified in delaying
the advance of the party any longer than was necessary for the at-
tainment of that object.
As a general remark, we may here observe, that, in passing from
west to east of the Greater Syrtis, the fortresses were found to be
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
149
more perfect as we advanced towards the Cyrenaica; their interest
may be said to begin at Zaffran, to increase at Medinet Sultan, and
to continue, from thence, in almost a regular progression, to become
stronger at every step that is made towards Bengazi.
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CHAPTER VII.
Remarks on the City of Sort, or Sert, of Edrisi and other Arab Geographers— Description of
it hy Leo Africanus— Position of Sert, on the Authority of Ahulfeda — ZafFran considered as
Asna — Remarks of Major Rennell on these Places — Remains at Medinet Sultkn considered
as those of Sort — Columns and other Remains described hy Signor Della Celia, in the
Neighbourhood of ZafFran — Train of Argument adopted hy the Doctor on this Occasion —
Remarks of the same Writer on the Tower of Euphrantas, and the Town of Charax, as laid
down hy Strabo — Nature of the Inscriptions on the Columns alluded to by Signor Della
Celia — Formidable Appearance of the Coast at ZafFran — 'General Appearance of the Country
in its Neighbourhood — Species of Crocus abounding there — Obliging Treatment of our Party
by the Arabs of ZafFran — Arrival at Medinet Sultai^ — Description of its Remains — Further
Remarks on the Tower of Euphrantas — Arrival at Nehim — Aukward Situation of Sshekh
Mahommed el Diibbah — Visit of the Diibbah to our Tent — Object of it discovered De-
parture of Shekh Mahommed, well pleased with the result of his Visit.
It is in the neighbourhood of Zaffran (if the measurements of Edrisi
be correct) that we must look for the remains of the city of Sort or
Sert, They are placed by this geographer at two hundred and thirty
Arabic, or two hundred and forty-six geographic, miles from Tripoly:
at least such is the distance given in the gross ; for the detail (as
Major Rennell has already observed) allows no more than two
hundred and ten Arabic miles, or two hundred and twenty-two
geographic.
The first distance, of two hundred and forty -six geographic miles,
would carry us seven miles beyond Zaffran, and within three of
Jedeed, which is ten miles to the eastward of Zaffran.
The distance in detail, or two hundred and twenty-two geogra-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
151
phical miles, would bring us within two miles of Jiraif, and fourteen
beyond Mahad Hassan ; while the number of days allotted by
Edrisi, for the journey in question from Tripoly to Sort, which is
eleven, would give a distance (on the computation of Major Eennell)
of two hundred geographic miles only; and this would bring us
within six miles of Mahad Hassan, that is, six miles to the westward
of that place. These measurements, considered with reference to
the places enumerated, would induce us to place the city of Sort
either at Mahad Hassan, or at Zalfran, or perhaps in the neigh-
bourhood of Jedeed ; for it is at these places that the greatest
assemblage of ruins may be observed.
To the westward of Mahad Hassan is the marsh, and at Jiraff
there are nothing but sand-hills. Between Jedeed and Shuaisha *
there are a good many scattered ground-plans, apparently of slightly-
built dwelling-houses (which seem to be those pointed out by
Signor Della Celia as the remains of the Charax of Strabo,) and
many insulated forts, and other scattered remains of building, may
be observed on the road from Jedeed to Medinet Sultan.
It appears, on the authority of Leo Africanus, that there was
nothing more remaining, in his time, of the city of Sort (or, as he
writes it, Sert,) than a few inconsiderable vestiges of the walls f ;
and, if this statement is to be taken literally, it will scarcely be
* In this neighbourhood we must look for the Macomades Syrtis of the Itinerary.
•f Serte (says Leo) e una citta antica, edificata, come alcuni vogliono, da gli Egitti,
e secondo altri dai Romani , benche siano alcuni da oppinione che ella fosse edificata da
gli Africani. Come si fu, hoi'a c rovinata, e credesi che la distrussero i Mahumettani ;
ancor che Ibuu Rachik, historico, dice dai Romani ; ne altro in lei si vede fuori che
qualche picciolo vestigio delle mura. — (L. Afr. in Ram., 5'“ parte.)
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JOURNEY FROM
possible to fix the site of the town with any accuracy in a tract of
country where ruins abound.
We will content ourselves with repeating, that it may either be
placed (upon the authority of the measurements stated above) at
Mahad Hassan, at Zaffran, or in the neighbourhood of Jedeed ; but
if we are to fix it on the authority of Abulfeda, we must remove it
further eastward, to the neighbourhood of MedTnet Sultan, which is
the spot we should ourselves prefer for it.
Abulfeda, in mentioning the remains of the city of Sort, informs
us that on the west of them is a Gulf called Eodaik, or Kodakiah,
(apparently the same) says Major Eennell (with the Zadic Sinus of
Edrisi) near which stands the town of Asna, one hundred and two
Arabic miles, or one hundred and eight geographic, to the south-
east of the Promontory of Kanem.
The Promontory of Kanem may be considered as the western ex-
tremity of the Greater Syrtis (say the Cephalas Promontorium in
the neighbourhood of Mesurata) ; and a distance of one hundred and
eight geographical miles from Mesurata would bring us within five
miles of Zaffran, that is, five miles to the west of it ; for Zaffran is
one hundred and thirteen miles from Mesurata. According to
this measurement, we should be induced to place Asna at Zaffran,
in the absence of any ruins, as we have stated above, between that
place and Mahad Hassan
* If Mahad Hassan may be taken as the Turns Hasan (or Cosr Asan) of Edrisi, with
which it appears to correspond, we may fairly venture, perhaps, to place Asna at Zaffran,
that place being thirty M. P. from Hasan, on the testimony of the Arab geographer,
and Zaffrto thirty geographic miles from Mahad Hassan. The wells of Zaffran are, at
the same time, on the beach, as those are said to be which Edrisi has mentioned at Asna.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
153
The town of Asna is laid down by Edrisi at forty-six Arabic
miles from the city of Sort ; and this distance added to the hundred
and eight above stated would bring us to the neighbourhood of
Medinet Sultan, which is one hundred and fifty-one geographic
miles from Mesurata. If we suppose, with Major RenneU, that
forty-six has here been substituted for tw^enty- six, the latter
measurement would bring us to Shuaisha, where there are certainly,
as we have already stated, some inconsiderable remains, but not ap-
parently those of a town. About two miles south-east of Medinet
Sultan are decided remains, of an ancient town, called Medina*,
(the city) which from the circumstance we are about to mention,
we should be inclined to suggest as the most eligible position (at
least in our opinion) for the city of Sort.
The distance of Asna from the western point of the Syrtis, as
given by Abulfeda, is found to correspond sufficiently well with
that of Zaffran from Mesurata. Sort is stated to be situated to the
eastward of Asna, at a distance of forty-six Roman miles from that
place, according to the testimony of Edrisi ; and the distance of
Zaffran from Medina (forty-seven M. P.) corresponds very well with
this statement, the latter place being, at the same, time to the
eastward of the former,
We may add that the term Sort, or Sert, is not known at the
present day to the Arabs as applied to any city or town ; but is
merely used to designate the tract of country which lies between
* Medina is the Arabic term for a city, and Medinet Sultan, as it is termed by
the Arabs, may be translated, royal city, or city of more than ordinary distinction.
X
154
JOURNEY FROM
Sooleb and Barca. The ruins of Medina are situated within this
territory; and supposing them to be actually the remains of Sort,
we may imagine that when this city lost its former name, it con-
tinued to be distinguished as the city, (the Medina) of the district
to which its name of Sort had been transferred*.
This arrangement will place the city of Sort at least forty miles to
the eastward of its position according to the measurements above
stated from Edrisi : but a short distance in reckoning is always pre-
ferable to a long one, and we should on that account prefer taking
the distance of Sort from Asna to reckoning it from Tripoly as
above. For the same reason the measurement of Abulfeda, from
the Promontory of Kanem to Asna, is more likely to be correct than
that of Edrisi from Tripoly to the city of Sort.
The Gulf of Kodaik (or Kodakiah) might have served to elucidate
this question had there been anything like it remaining ; but it will
be seen, on a reference to the chart, that there is no appearance oji
this part of the coast which can at all be considered as a gulf ; and
this vrill of course equally apply to the Sinus Zadic of Edrisi.
We will not at present pursue this subject further, but leaving
our readers to judge, from the data already given, how far we may
be authorized in placing the city of Sort in the position we have
ventured to suggest for it, we will proceed to notice some remains
which are found in the neighbourhood of Zaffran.
* The remains of Medinet Sultiin are on a larger scale than those of Medina, and
might on that account have been termed Sultan ; but they are rather those of an
important military station than of a city, and we prefer taking Medina as the position
of Sort for this reason.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
155
In traversing this part of the Syrtis, Signor Della Celia discovered
a square column of tolerable height and placed upon a pedestal.
It was composed, he says, of sandstone, but so corroded by time
that the characters which entirely covered its four sides had become
altogether unintelligible. An hour afterwards he arrived at a
second, and, after a similar interval, at a third of these erections, all
equally covered with waiting and so much decayed that, what with
the little time which he had at his command, and the state of ruin
in which the pillars were found, he could not succeed in putting
together a single word of their inscriptions. “ Opposite to the first
of these columns” (he adds) “ on the part next the sea, rise the
remains of a tower surmounted with a cupola, and this spot is called
Elbenia*.”
The Doctor confesses himself at a loss to decide for what purpose
these pillars could have been erected ; but suggests that, supposing
Zdffran to be Aspis, the ancient tower with a cupola which is near it,
and, “ as Strabo says, to Aspis,” must inevitably be the Tv^yog,
or tower named Euphrantas of that geographer. From this conclu-
sion he is induced to suspect that, as the tower of Euphrantas was
the boundary of the Cyrenaic and Carthaginian territory under the
Ptolemies, the three pillars above mentioned were erected to mark
the limits of those countries, as well as to record other matters which
(he says) were usually engraved by the ancients on objects of this
nature.
Finding his courage rise at this happy coincidence of ancient with
* Viaggio da Tripoli, &c., p. 77, 78.
X 2
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JOURNEY FROM
what he terms modern geography, Signor Della Celia now assumes a
more decided tone, and taking boldly for granted what he has just
advanced on supposition, proceeds to deduce from it an unqualified
conclusion ; and this leads him into his favourite practice of scepti-
cism, for which his deeply-rooted antipathy to all commentators and
editors seems to have given him a most decided partiality.
“ Encouraged by this coincidence,” (are the Doctor’s own words)
“ in my opinion, so plausible, of ancient and modern geography, I no
longer hesitate to believe that the ancient ruins which we met with
on the road, after three hours’ journey from Elbenia, point out the
spot which is called, by Strabo, Charax.”
Without attempting to give the least description of these ruins?
or any explanation of the reasons why he thinks they are those of
Charax, the Doctor all at once proceeds to criticise the passage in
Strabo, and to offer a new reading for the approbation of his friend,
the professor, on the subject of the silphium and the liquor which
was extracted from it. We do not pretend to any skill in logic,
but the train of argument here adopted by Signor Della Celia does
certainly appear to us a little extraordinary : it seems to run thus —
“ If Zaffran be Aspis, the tower with a cupola must be the tower of
Euphrantas ; and, as the tower of Euphrantas was a boundary under
the Ptolemiesj the three square piUars with the illegible inscriptions
are also boundaries ; and the ruins which are met with three hours
afterwards are those of Charax, which Strabo says was used by the
Carthaginians for a fair, at which the juice of the silphium was
exchanged for wine ; and, as I read in this passage, juice of the sil-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
157
phium, instead of juice and silphium ; or, as Buonacciuoli very
badly translates it, ‘il belgioino e il silfio.’ — You will agree with me
(he concludes, addressing the professor) in this little alteration in
the text of the Grecian geographer.”
He then leaves the subject, records another march through a very
hot day, and describes a visit with which he was honoured by the
Bey in his tent, and the excellent supper which he made off an
ostrich’s egg, which His Highness in his munificence had presented
him with. The supper and the chapter finish together, and the
Doctor goes to sleep, without further discussion, as soon as the meal
is over.
The position of Zaffran, with respect to the marsh, and to the
port which bears its name, will perhaps authorize us to consider it
as the Aspis of Strabo ; and we have already stated the reasons why
we think it not improbable that it may be : but the necessity for
placing Charax and the tower of Euphrantas in the positions
assigned to them by Signor Della Celia, does not seem, in our opinion,
to be quite so great as the Doctor has imagined. For the tower sur-
mounted with a cupola, which he has supposed to be the same with the
tower of Euphrantas, has no pretensions whatever to half the antiquity
which it would be necessary in that case to assign to it : it is in fact
nothing more than a rudely-formed Arab building, and never could,
at any time, have aspired to the title of tower, had it even been
built under the dynasty of the Ptolemies. It appears to have been
a dwelling-house, somewhat resembling the tomb of a MarabiJt ; but
being situated on the top of a range of hills overlooking the road, it
appears more important from below than could well be imagined by
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those who might only have examined it closely ; and it is probable
that the view of it which Signor Della Celia obtained, and which
suggested to him the analogy between it and the tower of Euphran-
tas, was from the road in the plain below. It is certainly somewhat
singular that, in a place where several ancient forts , may be observed,
the Doctor should have pitched upon an Arab building as the bound-
ary of the Cyrenaic and Carthaginian territory : but had he even been
willing to adopt one of the forts as the tow er, it would have been dif-
ficult to select any one from the number which had more claim than
the rest to that distinction ; and there does not, in fact, appear to
be any building at Zaffran sufficiently conspicuous to be considered
as the structure in question.
It seems to us that the tower of Euphrantas should be looked for
in some commanding situation, which either occasioned its being built,
or selected as a boundary for the kingdoms we have mentioned ; and
there seems to be no more reason for placing it at Zaffran than at
Medfiiet Sultan, where there are also many forts ; except that the
term (following upon, or succeeding to,) which Strabo uses
to point out its position, would induce us to place it as soon after Aspis
as circumstances would seem to allow'. At all events, we do not hesi-
tate in rejecting the “ torre sormontata da una cupola” as the tower
of Euphrantas ; and we should much rather, if it be necessary to place
this structure at Zaffran, select for its representative one of the for-
tresses already mentioned, than any building like that w hich is sug-
gested by Signor Della Celia, were it even of ancient construction.
There is another building which stands in a conspicuous position
on the same range of hills where the Doctor’s tow'er is situated, and
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
159
to which it is difficult to assign any use, unless we suppose it to have
been a sepulchral or other monument, built as a conspicuous object
merely. It occupies a square of about twenty feet, and could have
been little more at any time than a mass of solid stone and cement,
the space which is left in the centre being not more than four or five
feet square, and without any apparent communication with the exte-
rior. The height of the whole building appears to have been about
thirty feet, but little more than the basement upon which it has
been raised now remains; and this estimation is made from a compu-
tation of the quantity of fallen materials, and from the probable pro-
portion of the height with the breadth given. The basement itself
is six feet in height, and composed of well-shaped stones, some of
which are five feet long, and from twelve to sixteen inches in height
and thickness : above this no more than three feet of the superstruc-
ture now remain in any part ; but the base of a pilaster, which still
appears in one of the angles, proves that the exterior at least has
been constructed with some attention to architectural ornament. The
outer part only of this structure is huilt, the whole of the interior,
with the exception of the space mentioned in the centre, having been
filled up with unshaped stones deeply bedded in cement, the propor-
tion of which is much greater than that of the rubble thrown into it.
Were it not that the base of the remaining pilaster appears to be
a Saracenic imitation of the Greek, we should be disposed to allow a
greater antiquity to the building in question than it seems to us
from this circumstance to possess : for the stones employed in it are
of good size, very regularly placed, and well finished, and the cement
which has been used is excellent. Attached to this tower, for such
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it may be called, although it never could have been employed for
military purposes, are the remains of a subterranean storehouse
for grain, the roof of which is raised about a foot from the ground
above it and composed of cement : between this and the tower there
is a sort of well, which appears to be the entrance to the storehouse,
but which was too much encumbered with rubbish to allow of our
descending into it. Some traces of walls attached to the roof of the
storehouse may be seen in the ground-plan annexed, but we could
not determine whether either these, or the souterrain itself, were
originally attached to the building.
No architectural remains could be perceived among the fallen
ruins of the tower by which we might have been enabled to fix the
time of its erection with more precision ; and the base of the pilaster
which we have mentioned at the angle of the building, is the only
evidence of this nature which we could obtain.
To us this structure appears to be Saracenic ; but if others should
be disposed to think differently, and to adopt it as the tower of
Euphrantas, the circumstance of its having (at least in our opinion)
been built as an object merely without any other apparent use,
might perhaps be considered by some persons, to favour the idea ;
and we are a little surprised that Signor Della Celia did not adopt
it in preference to the building which he has pointed out.
With regard to the columns with the illegible inscriptions, which
the Doctor supposes to have been boundaries ; we know of no other
objects which will at all answer to his description but those at
Hamed Garoosh ; and our guides, as well as the Arabs of the place,
were obstinate in persisting that there were no others of any kind.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZr.
161
The columns at this place are “ tolerably high,” and they are also
quadrangular, and have the advantage of a pedestal, as the Doctor
has remarked of his boundary stones. But then they are not of
sandstone, nor of any stone at all, that is, not of any blocks
of stone, but merely of small irregular fragments of stone, put
together with cement, with which they are cased, and which gives
them the appearance at a little distance of being formed of a single
piece. Then, instead of one, there are two upon one pedestal, and
unless we suppose that the Doctor saw them in one direction only,
when the two were in one, it is not easy to account for this differ-
ence between his description and the reality. The characters
which are upon them do certainly coincide with those mentioned by
Signor Della Celia, so far as the circumstance of their being wholly
illegible is concerned ; for they consist altogether of unmeaning
scrawls, and of some of those marks which are used by the Arabs
to distinguish their particular tribes *, and have been scratched for
* We subjoin a few of these characteristic marks, with the names of the tribe, to
which they belong, attached. Some of them, it will be seen, resemble Greek letters, and
when they are well cut, have a very knowing appearance,
Mogharbe, Ouarghir, W^led Suliman, Orfilli, W61ed Ben-Miriam,
I -7X^ □ A [>-=*
Weled Abou-Saif, Gedadfa, Hemamla, Zoazi, Zoeia,
A
X
Hassoun, Gebshia, Name forgotten.
"Ml A 9 9
;; =
V
162
JOURNEY FROM
the amusement of those who may from time to time have stopped
to rest themselves in the shade which the pillars afforded.
It will be seen by the drawing of them, that these pillars are of
different sizes, although they may, perhaps, have been once of equal
height; and we will not venture to hazard any conjecture with regard
to the purpose for which they may have been erected : they cannot
be seen from the sea-shore, or the lower road, although they are but
a short distance from both ; for notwithstanding they are placed on a
ridge of hills, they are so situated in the hoUow in which they stand,
as to be indistinguishable from below. In rejecting, however, the
“ torre sormontata da una cupola” as the boundary established in
the time of the Ptolemies, we may, perhaps, at the same time, dis-
pense with the columns which Signor Della Celia has imagined to
regulate the division ; and it will not in that case be of any great
importance whether the square pillars at Hamed Garoosh be or be
not the same as those which the Doctor has mentioned. For our
own part we see no building whatever in this neighbourhood, which
answers to our idea of the tower of Euphrantas, either with regard
to its nature or position ; and as we find other buildings to the east-
ward of Zaffran which seem to us better calculated for boundary
towers, we are content to take a more extended sense of the term
employed by Strabo {(Tuny^ng) than Signor Della Celia thinks it pru-
dent to adopt.
We cannot take our leave of Zaffran without noticing the very
singular and formidable appearance of the beach at this place and
its neighbourhood ; and had we not ourselves beheld the extraordi-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
163
nary scene which it presented, we should scarcely have believed it
possible that the force of the sea could, under any circumstances,
have raised the large blocks of stone which are piled up on this part
of the coast*. The occasional regularity in which these are heaped
one above another, induced us, on the first view of them, to imagine
that they had been intentionally placed there for the purpose of a
breakwater ; but the long extent of the ranges soon proved the im-
probability of this supposition and the idea was dismissed as heartily
as it had been entertained. Heaps of sand and sea-weed are thrown
up with these blocks of stone, and the roar and confusion which a
nioderate gale of wind here occasions, are such as in other places
will seldom be found to accompany the most violent weather -j-.
The general appearance of Zaffran is however by no means un-
pleasing, although it is destitute, like the rest of the Syrtis, of the
advantages afforded by trees. The monotony of the flat and marshy
surface, so predominant in other parts, is here broken by hills which
are covered with verdure and overspread with a variety of flowers;
some of the valleys are partially cultivated, and the flocks of sheep
and goats which are scattered over the higher grounds, together
* The drawing annexed will give some idea of the manner in which these blocks are
disposed.
■f The dangerous peculiarities of the Gulfs of Syrtis are frequently noticed by the
ancients ; but the following passage from Sallust seems to allude more particularly to
ihe powerful action of the surf, so conspicuous in the instance which we have just
described.
Nam ubi mare magnum esse, et saevire ventis coepit, limum, Arenamq : et saxa
ingmtia Jluctus trahunt ; ita facies locorum cum ventis siniul mutatur. Syrles ab
tract!! nominatoe. — (Bell. Jugurth., p. 78.)
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with the tents of the Arabs who inhabit the place, give an appear-
ance of cheerfulness and comfort to the scene which contrast renders
doubly agreeable.
The water which is found here, and which is excellent and plen-
tiful, contributes at the same time in no small degree to increase
the attractions of the place ; and though the claims of Zaffran might
be humble, were it placed in a more favoured country, we may ven-
ture to affirm that no traveller who reaches it will ever be disposed
to analyze too minutely its pretensions to actual beauty.
Zaffran is a place of some note in the district of Syrt ; it affords
excellent pasturage, and furnishes large supplies of corn, wool, and
manteca. The name which it bears would lead us to imagine that
this place has been originally famous for its saffron ; Zaffran is the
Arab term by which that plant is distinguished, and we know that
the northern coast of Africa has been noted for the excellence of
the saffron which it produced*. We could not, however, perceive
any traces of the plant properly so called ; but the whole neighbour-
hood of Zaffran is overspread with a species of crocus from which
saffron might very possibly be extracted.
The best saffron of our own times is that which is made from the
crocus, by selecting the pistils and carefully drying them in a kiln ;
and the colour of the plant which we saw was well calculated to
suggest the idea that it might be usefully employed in a similar way :
it is a bulb, with a flower somewhat larger than the crocus, and
^ The saffron of the Gharian mountains has been described by Leo Africanus as the
best in the world.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
165
OTOws to a height of four or five inches. We had collected a few
specimens, but the nature of our journey did not allow of our stop-
ping to have them properly dried, and we afterwards found, on un-
packing them at Bengazi, that the damp had destroyed them, toge-
ther with some others which we had collected in passing through
the Syrtis.
The inhabitants of Zaffran are Bedouins, as are also all those of the
other parts of the Syrtis ; for there is not a single inhabited town or
village to be found between Mesurata and Bengazi. We found them
hospitable and obliging, and never entered one of their tents with-
out receiving a cordial reception : their simple fare of milk and dates
was always freely offered, and our horses were regaled with a feed of
corn which they usually found very acceptable. Fresh milk was
not always to be had, but they were never without a good supply of
leban (sour milk, or more properly butter-milk), and we were seldom
unwilling to alight from our saddles to take a draught of this patri-
archal beverage, which a long day’s hard riding through a country
without roads, and under the influence of an African sun, made infi-
nitely more palatable than will easily be imagined by those who can
spare it for their pigs.
We were often much amused on these occasions with the surprise
which our appearance created, and at the contest between ill-re-
pressed curiosity and the respect which our Arab friends were
desirous of shewing to their guests.
This struggle usually lasted till we had finished our repast, and our
hosts would then begin to draw a little nearer to the mats which they
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had spread upon the ground for our seats ; the women to examine
our dress more minutely, and the men to handle our sabres and
fire-arms.
The white linen of which our turbans and under garments were
composed excited the greatest admiration in the former, while our
double-barrelled guns, and pocket-pistols with stop-locks, were the
objects of attraction to the latter. In a very short time the re-
serve of both sexes would begin to wear away very rapidly, and the
whole family of our host would crowd round us indiscriminately
each trying to be heard above the other : one question after another
poured in upon us from all sides, and either nobody waited for an
answer, or the answer was given by half a dozen of the family
at once, each expressing a different opinion from that ot his neigh-
bour. At length, when no satisfactory conclusion could be formed
upon the subject of their inquiry, they would wait to have the ques-
tion formally answered by ourselves ; and the real use of every
object which excited their curiosity was generally so different from
all those which they had assigned to it, that the whole party, then
waiting in silent expectation for the result, would burst out all at
once into the loudest exclamations of surprise, and sometimes into
fits of laughter, which laid them rolling on the ground, and left
them scarcely strength to rise when we got up to take our leave.
Among the numerous objects of attraction, our compass, tele-
scopes, and watches, excited universal admiration ; and the reason
why the hands of the latter should move round of themselves, and
why the needle of the compass should always turn to the north-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
167
ward, must have been canvassed among them for many months
afterwards.
Why a man or a camel coidd be seen distinctly through a tube,
when they could scarcely be seen at all, at the same distance, with-
out it, will afford equal matter for speculation : and the next Euro-
pean who may visit the tents of our friends will probably hear an
account of these wonders so much disfigured by misrepresentation,
and so much exaggerated by the enthusiasm of Arab fancy, as will
lead him to doubt whether they ever saw what they are describing,
or to believe that they are telling him some whimsical story which
has no better foundation than those of the Hundred and one Nights
or the description of a Mahommedan Paradise.
W e found the men of Zaffran active, healthy, and well made, and
the women pretty and well-behaved ; the dress of the former consists
merely of a coarse baracan, with a red cap, and sandals of earners
hide.
The women wore a loose cotton shirt under the baracan, and
instead of the sandals were furnished with laced boots. They had
as usual a profusion of rude ornaments, and charms to avert the evil
eye, and were not at all anxious to keep their faces veiled or to avoid
the society of strangers. A small looking-glass and a few strings of
beads were received with delight by the fairer part of this com-
munity, and a knife, with a few flints, and some powder, were
accepted very thankfully by the men.
Our Chaous, who sometimes attended on these occasions, never
omitted an opportunity of displaying his own knowledge, and took
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a large share in the explanation of the different objects of attraction.
He never omitted to beg for an exhibition of our chronometer, that
he might have an opportunity of descanting upon the manner in
which we regulated it, which he used to say was done by weighing
the SU71*; and poor Sala, our attendant on such occasions, was always
called upon to produce the quicksilver used for the artificial horizon,
which never failed to excite the astonishment and delight which our
dilettante Chaous had anticipated.
Having purchased a supply of corn for our horses, which is here
deposited, as is usual in ISTorthern Africa, in cisterns or storehouses
which have been excavated by the ancients, we left Zafffan, and con-
tinued our journey to Jedeed, where the tents were pitched for the
night. This mode of preserving corn is frequently alluded to by
ancient writers, and Varro has asserted that wheat thus preserved
will keep for fifty years, and millet for more than a hundred f .
From Jedeed we proceeded on to Shuaisha, passing by Bennet
Hadeed and Hamed Garoosh, where are the remains of some forts,
* Shaw observes that this expression is used in the neighbourhood of Tunis, and
indeed it is very common among the Ai-ab tribes in general.
t “ Quidam granaria habent sub terris, speluncas, quos vocant a^i^ous, ut in Cappa-
docia ac Thracia. Alii, ut in Hispania citeriore, puteos, ut in agro Carthaginiensi et
Oscensi. Horum solum paleis substernunt : et cux’ant ne humor aut aer tangere possit,
nisi cum promitur ad usum. Quo enim spiritus non pervenit, ibi non oritur curculio.
Sic conditum triticum manet vel annos quinquaginta : milium vero plus annos cen-
tum.”— (De Re Rustica, i. 57.)
See also Caesar (de Bell. Afric, cap. 25). “ Est in Africa consuetude incolarum, ut,
in agris, et in omnibus fere villis, sub terra specus, condendi frumenti gratia, clam
habeant, atque id propter bella maxime, hostiumque subitum adventum praessarent.”
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
169
and a buildipg called by the natives Kumia (or Christian), but
which has nothing to mark it as such, nor anything to recommend
it to further notice. The country from Zalfran to Hamed Garoosh
becomes gradually higher, and in the valleys is well cultivated. We
noticed many flocks of sheep and goats, some oxen and camels, and
found in all parts hares, plovers, quails, curlews, wild-ducks, a few
snipes, and a multitude of jackalls, which latter were indeed, through-
out the journey, our constant companions. The evening setting in
stormy, with heavy rains, we were very late in reaching our tents, and
having passed unexamined some part of the coast, we remained at
Shuaisha the whole of the following day (the 16th) in order to complete
it. Between Jedeed and Shuaisha the coast is formed in small bays,
and has some sunken rocks very close in shore : at about a quarter of
a mile from the latter place, to the westward, we found the remains of
a building shewing itself through the side of the cliff which covered it;
its height from the foundation was about twenty-five feet, but its plan
could not of course be obtained without previous excavation. At nine
o’clock, on the ITth, we left Shuaisha, passed Marabut Duscarga (the
remains of an old fort), and in seven hours reached Medinet Sultan,
where we found a good supply of sweet water.
Medinet Sultan has been an important military position, as the
remains of several strongly-built fortresses still remaining there
attest ; these buildings, like those at Zaffran, are quadrangular, and
the foundations of strong walls, communicating with the forts, are
seen to cross them in various directions.
The plans of the buildings are more perfect than those of Zaffran,
and are upon a larger scale ; those of the walls, however, could not be
z
170
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determined, and would require, from their ruined state, a very long
and attentive examination, before their original dimensions and pre-
cise points of contact could be ascertained. We have given the plans
of two of the forts, one of which, though apparently very perfect, is
unprovided with any visible entrance. Two gates will be observed
in the outer works of the other, although none is apparent in the
habitable part of the building, which constitutes the most important
part of it.
Within a square, or rather quadrangular, inclosure, attached to
another of the same size, is a subterranean storehouse, or reservoir,
which has been first excavated in the soil, then formed with rough
stones, and lastly coated with an excellent cement, which is still in a
very perfect state. The descent to this souterain is by a square well
of trifling depth, which was so much overgrown and encumbered, as
not to be immediately perceived. Having with us the means of
procuring a fight, we succeeded, without much trouble, in descending
into the chambers which are excavated on each side of it, and in
procuring the plan which appears in the plates. We were in hopes
to have found some inscription on the walls, which we have already
described as being very perfect, but nothing appeared but a few rude
and unimportant Arab scrawls. In the neighbourhood of the mili-
tary position, which we have noticed above, are the remains
of the town already mentioned, called Medina, where there are
a number of wells and tanks in very good preservation ; but the
buildings above ground are in so mutilated and ruinous a state, as to
render any satisfactory plan of them impossible, without a great deal
of previous excavation.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
171
So little is mentioned by any writer (with whose works we ourselves
are acquainted) of the buildings contained in the Syrtis, that it will
for the most part be difficult to assign any other name to the remains
of forts and towns at present existing there, than those by which the
Arabs of the country now distinguish them. Charax is pointed
out by Strabo as occurring after the tower of Euphrantas ; but
before the position of this town can be ascertained, it will be neces-
sary to decide upon that of the tower itself, which, in a country
presenting a continued chain of forts from one extremity to
the other, is by no means very easily established. The Philseni *
villa is also offered to our notice; but its position must depend
upon that of the Philacnean altars, which we are told by Pliny
were merely of sand, and which we know were not remaining in the
time of Strabo f.
W ere it not that a more eligible position for the tower of Euphran-
tas occurs further eastward, at a place called Bengerwad, in the
neighbourhood of Houdea, we should have been inchned to adopt
Med met Sultan as a port where the tower might very well be looked
for ; and the circumstance of its being nearer to Zaffran (which we
have already given our reasons for identifying with Aspis) would
* The ^tXaivov Tteu/j.yi (of Ptolemy) v(p’ nv oi ogiov A<pgix»ir — between
which and Charax, his nuixn, Ptolemy has however laid down some inconsiderable
places.
■f Ov yaq vi/v 01 (piXaivwy /xevovcti ^aifxoi aXX’ o ronos iJ,sreiK'/)(ps rm ‘Tc^oanycoqtav' — (Lib. iii.
P- 171-)
In intimo sinu fuit ora Lotophagon, quos quidam Alachroas dixere, ad Philseiiorum
Aras: ex harena sunt eae. — (Nat. Hist., lib. v. c. 5.)
Z 2
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certainly point it out as the more eligible position of the two, so far
as the meaning of the term (rvH^^rjg may be concerned*. But the local
advantages which the tower we shall hereafter mention at Benger-
wad possesses (considered both as a boundary fortress, and as a very
conspicuous object), would certainly induce us to give a greater lati-
tude to the term in question, than we should, under other circum-
stances, have ventured to allow ; and we have accordingly given this
fortress the preference in fixing the position of the tower of Eu-
phrantas, or rather in suggesting a position for it which there is so
little authority for fixing with accuracy f .
At Med met Sultan there is a sandy bay in which boats might find
shelter with particular winds; and a lake commences here, appa-
rently deep, which communicates with the sea in two places, and
extends itself along the coast to the eastward. We narrowly exa-
mined the points of communication, in expectation of finding a
passage through them by which small vessels might have entered the
lake ; it being probable, from its vicinity to the ruins above-men-
tioned, that the lake might have been used as a port. But the
nature of the beach without, which was altogether stony, running
out into dangerous shallows impracticable for vessels of any kind,
rendered the existence of such a passage impossible. The coast
* It must be recollected that Strabo has described the tower of Euphrantas as conti-
guous to, or immediately succeeding, the port of Aspis, for so we must translate
auMsxrts, if we take it in its strict and literal sense.
•f Among the several towers which present themselves at Medina Sultan, thei’e is
no one which could be pointed out as more conspicuous in position than another ; and
were the tower of Euphrantas to be fixed at this place, it would scarcely be possible
to select one of them as its probable representative.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
173
between this place and Garoosh is high, and the land terminates
towards the sea in cliffs, with a low sandy beach, and rocky points at
the foot of them ; but from the wady eastward it lowers again, and is
marked only by sand-hills. Upon the lake we noticed a great many
flamingoes, with red bills and legs ; the head and neck were white,
the primary feathers of the wings black, and crimson in the inside ;
the secondaries and tertials were grey, and the under coverts crim-
son : several coveys of snipes and curlews were also observed along
the lake, which, as well as all other lakes and marshes in the Syrtis,
is salt and unfit for use. On leaving Medinet Sultan we continued
our route along this low and marshy ground, which extends itself as
far as Nehim, where our tents were pitched for the night, near two
wells of excellent water. There were no remains of building that
we could perceive along this track, with the exception of a few stones
on two little eminences, which had been rudely put together for
Markbut tombs. We learnt also from Shekh Mahommed, that the
country inland was equally devoid of interest, and unoccupied by
buildings of any kind. At Nehim there is a sandy bay, into which
ships might send their boats, with almost all winds, for water, at
three wells which are situated near the beach.
At Hkmmah also, a bay a few miles farther eastward, water may
be procured almost at all times, the sea being rendered smooth by
a shoal which stretches itself across the entrance of the bay. The
two bays may be known by a promontory situated nearly midway
between them, on which there are some ruins of an ancient fort
which formerly overlooked the cliff, but these are now too much
fallen to be perceived from the sea.
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JOURNEY FROM
AVhile we were pitching the tents, and all hands were employed,
some of our horses got loose, and Shekh Mahommed el Dtibbah, who
had just come up with us on his trusty mare, was violently assailed
by them on all sides. He called out most lustily for help, and in
the mean time exhibited uncommonly good horsemanship ; wheeling
about rapidly in all directions, and making his mare kick out in the
intervals, to the no small amusement of our whole party, who were
at first too much overcome by laughter to give him any effectual
assistance.
As the attack however began to grow serious, from the number
and impetuosity of our valiant Shekh’s assailants, we soon recovered
ourselves sufficiently to make a diversion in his favour, and eventu-
ally to secure all the horses, though not before the Dubbah was quite
out of breath, and had broken his gun in his defence.
The next morning he entered our tent with the fragments of his
ill-fated weapon in his hand ; and after he had squatted himself down
as usual, and paid his two or three customary salams, and a variety
of fulsome compliments, which always preceded any request he had
to make, he began to expatiate upon his rencontre of the preceding
evening, and the address which he had shewn on the occasion : he
concluded by holding forth the shattered remains of his bendikah
(musket), and observing that the Dhbbah had now nothing to
defend himself with in case of an attack from the formidable bands
of robbers which he had always asserted to be lying in wait for us.
As we had no time to spend in trifling, and were not inclined to
take the hint by presenting him with one of our muskets, we sud-
denly changed the subject, to the discomfiture of his hopes, and
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
175
began to make inquiries about the camels which he was to provide
us with at Boosaida, where we expected to arrive the next day.
He replied that he had already given directions about them, but
that he thought it would be better that he should proceed on in
advance of the party, to make arrangements for their being in readi-
ness on our arrival ; he proposed in the mean time to leave his eldest
son as his locum tenens, who had lately come from the eastward to
pay his respects to his father.
This proposal being agreed to, we remained silent for a few
moments, in expectation that he would rise and leave the tent ; we
were however disappointed, for the Dubbah kept his post, and
it was evident that he had something more to ask. The customary
toll of a little brown sugar had already been allowed and accepted ;
for Shekh Mahommed, though old, had not yet lost his relish for
sweets, and we usually indulged him when he visited our tent with
a few spoonfuls of his favorite dainty. His approbation had also
been extended, as usual, to the knives, pens, and pencils, pocket-
pistols, and powder-flasks, and other little things usually lying about
the tent, without any of them having been offered to him : yet he
still remained sitting, to our great annoyance ; for besides taking up
our time, as we thought, very unnecessarily, he was all the while
colonizing our carpets and mats with the fleas and other animals
which escaped from his baracan ; and this article of his dress (which
indeed was generally his only one) was at all times sufficiently
well provided with these residents to allow of very extensive emi-
gration. At last our patience was exhausted, and our complaisance
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very nearly so ; the watch was pulled, out, and when we had ex-
pressed our surprise that it should be so much later than we had
imagined, we ventured to ask of our white-bearded visitor if it would
not be better that he should set out in advance, as he had himself
so very prudently suggested. Upon this the Shekh rose, to our
great delight, and after paying his adieus with the air of a man
who was wholly occupied with other reflections, he took the Doctor
aside, and with a significant half-smile upon his countenance, begged
he would furnish him with the exhilarating medicine which he had
promised him on a former occasion. The secret was disclosed which
had so baffled our penetration ; for the Dhbbah confessed that as he
was going home, from which he had been some time absent, he was
particularly desirous of assuming an animated and youthful appear-
ance in the presence of his young and handsome wife, who, he was
fearful, he said, had already began to fancy him a little too old for
her. He described this girl, to whom he had lately been married, as
uncommonly pretty and only sixteen years of age ; and concluded
by saying he did not despair, Imsh Allah (please God), that with the
Doctor’s assistance, he might yet contrive to make himself agreeable
to her ! Our chagrin was now succeeded by a violent fit of laughter,
which we freely indulged in at the old Shekh s expense, and which
he bore very goodnaturedly : the Doctor was not long in prepar-
ing the draught ; and the Dhbbah had no sooner deposited it in
his old leathern pouch, as safely as a glass phial could conveniently
be put up with flints and steel, musket balls, old nails and horse-
shoes, which were usually observed to be assembled there, than he
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
177
mounted the gallant mare who had so well conducted herself the
night before, and brandishing his stirrups, rode off at full gallop,
well pleased with the result of his long-winded visit, and anticipat-
ing all the wonderful effects of the cordial which the Doctor had so
considerately bestowed upon him.
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CHAPTER VIII.
Leave Nehim — Arrive at Boosaida — Shekh Hamed Shakshak — Return of Shekh Mahommed —
Revival of the Report above mentioned — Motive for renewing it — Discharge our Mesurata
Camel-drivers — Treaty with the Diibbah for others — Interested Conduct of Shekh Mahommed
— Commencement of another Salt- Lake at Sharfa — Easy mode of shifting Quarters practised
by the Arabs — Their manner of travelling — Termination of the Lake — Arrive at Shegga —
Remains of Forts observed there — Other Remains in its Neighbourhood — Abundant Pasturage
at Shegga — Fortress ofBengerwad — Peculiarities of its Position — Bengerwad considered as
the Castle of Euphrantas — Objections to this Supposition — ^Reasons in favour of it — Leave
Wady Shegga — Cross a Tract of Red Sand — Spacious Bay at Ras Howeijah — Good Anchor-
age probably found there — Remains of an ancient Town near Ras Howeijah considered as
those of Charax — Trade of Charax alluded to, as mentioned by Strabo — Further Reasons for
placing the Tower of Euphrantas at Bengerwad — Allusion to the Barter of Silphium at
Charax — Emendation of Strabo’s Text proposed by Signor Della Celia — Arrive at Hudia —
Alleged Origin of this Name as applied to the Place in question — Hudia lately infested
by a formidable Band of Robbers — Precautions of our Arab Esjcort to prevent any Attack —
Rigorous Measures of Mahommed Bey apparently very necessary — Remarkable Hill of
Gypsum at Hudia — Celebration of Christmas-day by our Party at Hudia — Fortress at
Mahiriga — Arrival of a Party of Pilgrims from the Westward— Disturbance at Linoof —
Apparent Causes of it — Ill-behaviour of the Diibbah — His sudden change of Conduct, and
artful Manoeuvres — Remarks on Arab Character — Satisfactory Termination of the Disturb-
ance— Arrival at Mukhtar, the Boundary of the Districts of Syrt and Barka.
On quitting Nehfm we proceeded along the edge of a marsh which
commences there, extending itself for several miles parallel with the
beach, from which it is separated by sand-hills, and in the evening
arrived at Boosaida. The whole of this tract (from Nehim to
Boosaida) is very flat and uninteresting, and we could perceive no
remains there of any kind. At Boosaida may be observed the ground-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
179
plans of small walls, apparently those of dwelling-houses, between
where our tents the spot were pitched and the sea ; the remains are
however so few and inconsiderable, and so much mixed with stones
lielonging to the soil, as to be wholly without any interest.
The country at Boosaida is somewhat hilly, and overrun with grass
and brushwood, a small part only being planted with barley. The
few Bedouins who inhabit it appear to have no other occupation than
that of tending their camels, sheep, and goats ; and the women are
chiefly occupied in curing skins for containing water and manteca,
which is done by means of certain roots found in great quantities in
the neighbourhood. The Shekh, or principal man of the place, was
named Hamed Shakshak, who, in order to ensure our being well
supplied, for we ought not to suspect so obliging a personage of
any less praiseworthy motive, took care to usurp the sole right
and privilege of furnishing us himself with whatever we wished to
purchase ; never forgetting, however, in the excess of his zeal, to put
a most unconscionable price upon everything. So careful had this
considerate person been in his manoeuvres, that we could not get
even a draught of milk from the women in other tents, without pro-
mising to keep it secret fi’om ITamed Shakshak. As we had no wish
to embroil the honest inhabitants with their Shekh, we thought it
better to take no notice of this proceeding, especially as the time
we had to remain at Boosaida was short, and our demands were not
likely to be very great.
It was here that our agreement with the Mesurata camel-drivers
flnished; and the day after our arrival we were rejoined by our friend
2 A S
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the Dubbah, who had left us, as before stated, to make arrangements
for furnishing us with others. He entered our tent with three large
ostrich eggs wrapped up very carefully in the folds of his baracan,
(for this garment may be considered as a general envelope for every-
thing which an Arab thinks worthy of a cover,) and having unfolded
them, one by one, laid them down very solemnly and ceremoniously,
and with the greatest air of consequence imaginable, on the mat upon
which we were sitting. All this was of course intended to enhance
the value of the present, and we received it accordingly with all due
acknowledgments. The prelude being over, Shekh Mahommed
assumed a very mysterious air, and drew a little closer towards us ;
then low'ering his voice, which was not usually one of the most gentle,
he began to inform us (looking occasionally round the tent, as if he
feared to be overheard from without) that a large troop of maraud-
ing Arabs were then at Kebri t, having recently arrived there from
the neighbourhood of Cairo, and that they were lying in wait lor our
party. There could be no doubt, he added, of the truth of this state-
ment, for one of his own sons had just arrived from Cairo himself ! On
our asking him whether this son had actually seen the Arabs in ques-
tion, he replied that, as yet, no person had seen them, but that the
prints of horses' feet, to the number of sixty, had been observed about
the wells near Kebrit, and that there could be no doubt whatever ol
the sinister intentions of the party. “ But fear nothing,” continued
the Shekh, with an air of greater importance, “ while the Dubbah is
your friend and conductor ; for I will myself,” said he, “ go on in
advance, and if I find the tracks of hostile horses about the wells.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZl.
181
woe be to the rascals upon their backs !” We had been trying
very hard, during this important communication, to keep as solemn
a face as we could, but the concluding bravado of old Shekh Mahom-
med rendered all our best efforts unavailing ; and we fairly laughed
out, in spite of ourselves, to the great discomposure of our valiant
protector. The old Shekh had often talked of similar interruptions
which were to be expected upon the road, but we could not, at first,
upon the present occasion, perceive his actual motive for introducing
the subject so formally and circumstantially. The next day, however,
we found there had been a competition betw een the Dubbah and our
Mesurata camel-drivers, who were desirous of accompanying us to Ben-
gazi, and whom for their good conduct on most occasions we should
have been very willing to retain in our service. At any rate, we
wished the competition to continue till we had concluded our bargain
with one of the parties, as we knew that we should otherwise be ex-
posed to the extortion which is almost invariablj^ practised by an Arab
when he knows there is no alternative but to accept his proposals.
Both parties, however, knew that we must, under any circumstances,
continue our route ; and that it would not be possible for us to do
so without camels, whether we advanced or returned. For this reason
we had never made any positive promise that w^e would take the
Dhbbah’s camels at Boosaida, and we had never given any notice to
the camel-drivers of iVIesurata that we should not continue them if
they wished to proceed with us farther.
Having reason to believe that his Mesurata rivals were willing to
go on with us to Bengazi, Shekh Mahommed now brought forward
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his story of the robbers to deter them from accompanying us any
farther ; for in the event of our being surprised and overpowered,
they would themselves have lost their camels as well as all they had
with them. Whether this story, which the Dhbbah had taken care
to have generally circulated, really frightened the men of Mesurata,
or whether they thought it imprudent to make an enemy of the old
Shekh at a distance from their own country, and in a part of his own,
did not very clearly appear ; but they soon after came to us, and de-
clined proceeding any farther, alleging, at the same time, that Shekh
Mahommed had already engaged camels for us from his own people in
the neighbourhood, and that we should therefore have no occasion for
theirs. We told them that we had as yet made no bargain with the
Ddbbah, and that although we might wish to give him an opportunity,
as our friend and conductor, of making a fair profit of his camels, we
should certainly not accept them if we found that his demands were
unreasonable. Finding, however, that the men were really unwilling
to go on, under any circumstances, though they would not state pre-
cisely the grounds of their objection, we settled our accounts with
them, giving each a few piastres in addition to what had been
agreed for, as an acknowledgment of their good behaviour, and they
shortly after set out on their return to Mesurata. Before their
departure, however, we sent for Shekh Mahommed, and told him the
number of camels we should have occasion for ; stating, at the same
time, the sum we intended to pay him for them, to which, after some
little parley, he consented. The next morning he made his appear-
ance in our tent, and said that the camels would be brought to us
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
1H3
immediately, but that the men whom they belonged to, on estimat-
ing the weight of our baggage, had refused to carry it so long a
journey, unless we would consent to take twenty-five instead ot
eighteen camels, (the number we had mentioned to him on the pre-
ceding evening,) and which was fully sufficient for the whole of our
baggage. To this proposal, however, we gave a very decided nega-
tive, and a long parley, ensued in which the Dfibbah went through
* the whole gamut of Arab vociferation, accompanying each tone with
its appropriate gestures, and expressing himself with an energy
which almost amounted to frenzy. The whole strength of the
Dfibbah’s lungs, with all his powers of gesticulation, were, however,
unable to convince us that his proposal was a reasonable one;
although it must be confessed, in justice to his logic, that no poissard
ever screamed louder, and that the most accomplished Neapolitan
buffoon could not have surpassed him in vehemence and variety of
gesture.
The result was that we could come to no satisfactory terms ; for
the Dfibbah w^as aware that our old camel-drivers were gone, and
thought we had no alternative but to comply with his demands : he
concluded by declaring, in the name of the Prophet, that we should
either have none at all, or else take the whole number of camels
which he had proposed, and went out of the tent as he delivered his
final resolve, fuUy satisfied that we should soon call him back and
agree to his unreasonable terms.
Had we done so he would soon have found some excuse for
increasing the number still further, and we should in all probability
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not have been able to get away without twice as many camels as we
had any occasion for.
We were, however, determined not to submit to this imposition
while any means remained of avoiding it ; and Shekh Mahommed
had no sooner left the tent than we ordered two horses to be saddled
immediately, and despatched one of our party, accompanied by the
Chaous, to bring back the Mesurata camel-drivers, who we knew
could not have been far advanced on their journey. The old Shekh
now imagined that we were going to send express to Tripoly to
complain of his conduct to the Bashaw ; although such an embassy,
had we waited for the reply, must have detained us much longer
than it would have been advisable to delay the expedition for
any point so comparatively trifling. As he had however fallen
into this error, and was evidently much disturbed at the idea, we
did not of course undeceive him ; and when he had most solemnly
promised to abide by our decision on the subject in dispute, he
begged that we would allow him to recall the two horsemen, who
had ah-eady made some little progress : no sooner had he obtained our
permission to do so than he mounted his mare in all speed, which he
had contrived to have saddled in the interval, and riding after the
envoys as fast as he could gallop, overtook them as they were nearly
out of sight. By this time the day was half gone, and our departure
was consequently deferred till the following one, which, as the wea-
ther turned out, saved us a good wetting. We left Boosaida on the
morning of the 22nd, and passing through Sharfa, stojjpcd for the
night at Shedgane, having only made good twelve miles, in conse-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
185
quence of the delays occasioned by the young camels which the
Dubbah had provided for us, which were continually throwing off"
their loads. The ground was besides so full of holes, made by the
Jerboa, that both horses and camels were continually tripping.
At Sharfa commences another salt lake wTich extends to Houei-
jah, a remarkable promontory, taking the appearance at a distance of
a castle in ruins, and which may possibly be the cape called Liconda.
Between the lake and the sea is a narrow slip of land occupied by a
party of Arabs, who were so completely concealed among the hills,
that we were close upon them before we were aware that any living
soul was in the neighbourhood. The cattle of this place were
closely attended by the men, to prevent their ranging on the heights,
and, consequently, becoming visible to those who might be passing ;
a manoeuvre which they probably had adopted from supposing us to
be some of the Bashaw^’s people, whose observation they hoped by
such means to elude, and thus escape the payment of the tribute w^hich
in the event of their discovery wmiild have been exacted from them
by the soldiers of His Highness. We w'ere how^ever received by these
people very kindly, and they brought us out milk and dried dates,
unasked for ; in return for these attentions, we gave the men some
gunpowder, with which they w^ere highly delighted, and presented
the women with some strings of beads of different colours, which
were accepted with many smiles of acknowledgment.
So well practised are the Arabs in eluding observation, from the
nature of the wandering life which they lead, and the little security
which there is for property in the country they inhabit, that even
those wiio are well acquainted with their usual haunts are often
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JOURNEY FROM
unable to find them ; and strangers might often pass within a
hundred yards of their tents, without suspecting there was a soul
in the neighbourhood. As the whole property of a wandering Arab
consists in his flocks and cattle, and the few little articles contained
in his tent, he has very little trouble in moving, and half an hour
after he has determined to leave the place of his residence,
no traces will remain of his late habitation, but the ashes scattered
about the hole in the earth which served his whole family for
a fire-place. His sheep and cattle are collected without diffi-
culty at the sound of his voice, or that of some part of his
family, while his tent, in the mean time, with all its contents,
the chief of which are his wives and his children, are packed up
in a few minutes on the backs of his camels, and ready to move
on with the rest. If he is not pressed for time, the women often
walk with the older children, and assist in driving the cattle ; and
should he have no camels, which is very often the case, both women
and children are loaded to the utmost of their strength with such
articles as cannot be transported in other ways. But neither women
nor children on these fatiguing occasions exhibit any signs of discon-
tent or uneasiness ; the length of their journey and the weight of
their burdens are borne with the greatest cheerfulness ; and the
whole is considered as a matter of course, which their habits of life
have accustomed them to expect, and to support without any other
effects than the temporary fatigue of the exertion. If the journey
should be long, the tent is seldom unpacked till they have arrived at
the place of their destination, and the whole party sleep very soundly
on the ground, in the midst of their sheep and cattle, till the first
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
187
appearance of day-light summons them to rise and take up their
burdens, which have probably in the mean time been usefully em-
ployed in affording them the luxury of a pillow.
On quitting the hills among which our late acquaintance were
encamped, we passed along the track of Ras Houeijah (the promon-
tory above mentioned), and were detained some time in consequence
of the lake having terminated in a swamp, which extended to the
sea, and in which our horses sank so deep as to render great caution
necessary. The land at the back of the marsh rises tolerably high,
and was better peopled than any part we had yet seen in the district
of Syrt. At about one o’clock we reached Wady Shegga, a large
fiumara so called, and having procured some brackish water a little
way up it, continued our route till we reached some Arab tents, where
we halted for the night. At Shegga we found the remains of some
forts, strongly and regularly built, and of the same quadrangular
form with those which we have already described. On a large
mound of rubbish we also observed a Markbut, rudely built with the
stones of fallen structures about it. In a valley belonging to the
chain of hills which runs at the back of Shegga are considerable
traces of small buildings, rudely put together with the unshaped
stones of the soil. They consist principally of strait lines and parts
of squares, built with very little regularity, and occupying both sides
of the valley. Traces of walls may also be still observed across the
valley, which is furrowed and torn up by the passage of torrents
rushing down in the rainy season from the hills, but which seems to
have formerly contained much more building than can be perceived
2 B 2
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in it at present The rain seems to have been also a principal agent
in destroying the buildings on the sides of the valley ; but the loss
which has been sustained is scarcely to be regretted ; since neither
these structures, nor those which occupied the centre of the valley,
could ever have been of any importance, although they have cer-
tainly been very numerous. Before the entrance of the valley, near
the forts which have been mentioned, are also seen traces of build-
ing, but which do not seem to have been much more important than
those which we have just alluded to. On the whole, nothing more
can well be collected from these remains, than that the place has
been formerly the site of a small town, which must always have been
a very miserable one. There is however a good deal of pasturage in
the neighbourhood, occasioned by the plentiful supply of water from
the hills, and we found ourselves surrounded on all sides by flocks of
sheep and goats, among which were also a good many camels.
At about two miles’ distance from the remains above described (to
the eastward) is a very remarkable projection of a high cliff into the
sea, on which has been built a strong and very conspicuous fortress,
constructed with large stones regularly shaped and put together.
The greater part of this building, owing to the cliff having given
way, is tumbled in ruins about the beach, and though little of the,
ground plan now remaining can be satisfactorily made out, yet
it may well be inferred, from an inspection of the whole, that this
fortress has been one of considerable strength *. It commands an
* A great quantity of broken pottery was found at this place, and red earthen jars
were observed protruding through the sides of the cliff where it had fallen away ; the floor
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
189
extensive view, on both sides, over the sea, and overlooks many
remains of building which are scattered about the plain at the back
of it. At the foot of the eminence on which the fortress has been built,
is a ravine, which must at times be the bed of a considerable tor-
rent, and which, crossing the plain from the mountains by which it
is bounded, empties itself into the sea at the base of the fort. The
mountains, which here run parallel with the beach, approach at the
same time so closely to the sea, that the plain which intervenes might
be easily defended by means of the ravine just described. Along this
ravine are traces of strong walls which have been constructed on both
sides of it, and have formerly extended from the sea to the foot of the
hills ; and which must in their perfect state have formed, together
with the ravine, a very effectual barrier to the pass.
Such advantages of situation could not well have been overlooked
by the ancients ; and there is little doubt that this position was
originally one of importance. It appears so well calculated, both by
nature and art, for the establishment of a boundary line, that we
have little hesitation in supposing the remains above mentioned to
have at some period defended the limits of the states of Cyrene and
Carthage ; and it is accordingly here that we should feel most in-
clined to fix the site of the Castle of Euphrantes. The distance of
this fort from Zaffran, considered as Aspis, does indeed seem too
great for the literal meaning of Strabo’s term a-vnsx,-/;g : but then
the circumstance of its uniting a strong boundary line with a very
and two sides of a chamber, coated with excellent cement, were also remarked in the side
of the cliff near the sea ; the other parts had fallen away with the rock, and were scat-
tered in ruin on the beach, which was thickly strewed with remains of the fortress.
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conspicuous position, seems to make this place so very eligible
a site for the castle in question, that we cannot refrain from point-
ing it out to our readers as the spot of all others which we
could most wish should prove to be really such. We know the
TTv^yog Fjvcp^a.vrai to have been a boundary tower, since it is ex-
pressly said by Strabo to have been the limits of Carthage and
Gyrene under the Ptolemies; so far therefore the resemblance be-
tween this fort and that of Strabo appears to be sufficiently complete.
Again, amongst all the fortresses with which the Syrtis is filled,
two only are mentioned in ancient history hi/ name, those of
Euphrantas and Automala; audit would seem probable, from this
circumstance (at least it appears so to us), that these castles should
have been distinguished from others by conspicuous positions. Of
all the positions occupied by forts between Zaffran and the point to
which we are arrived, there is no one which can be materially distin-
guished from another but that of Bengerwad, which we have just
been describing ; and this is so remarkably conspicuous a position,
from the height of the eminence and its almost insulated situation
on the beach, that it must have been at all times an object of import-
ance from the sea, and could not fail to have been noticed by
Strabo in his passage along this part of the coast. It is probable that
the position of the Philmnean Altars was not sufficiently well calcu-
lated by nature for a boundary ; and that this circumstance, rather
than the desire of increasing his territory in so unprofitable a district,
induced one of the Ptolemies to remove the line of separation further
westward to the castle of Euphrantas. In passing along the coast,
in a westerly direction, from the sandy tract where the monuments
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
191
of thePhilagni* might be looked for, had they still been in existence,
the most eligible situation which would present itself for a boundary
post is certainly that of Bengerw^d ; and this, as we have stated, is
so extremely well calculated for such a purpose, that we can scarcely
suppose it could have been overlooked by the king of Egypt when
he fixed the new limits of his dominions.
It will be unnecessary to trouble our readers with any protracted
discussion of a point which admits of no positive proof ; and we will
leave others to decide, without further remark, how far the meaning
of the term employed by Strabo may be extended, in con-
sideration of the reasons which we have alleged.
On leaving Wady Shegga we passed over a tract of red sand col-
lected in little hiUocks about the plain, which were, however, as well
as the spaces between them, occasionally covered with vegetation.
We here saw some gazelles, hares, and jackalls, and a good many jer-
boas, and fired at a snake about six feet in length, which the Arabs
told us swelled out when much irritated, and was very venomous :
he however escaped slightly grazed into a hole in the sand. This
was the only snake of any size which we had seen in the Syrtis ; it
was of a very dark colour, and about as thick as a man’s wrist.
Immediately behind the promontory which we have mentioned above,
* We have already stated, on the authority of Pliny, that the Philaenean Altars were
of sand ; and as they must be looked for in this neighbourhood, we have supposed them
to have been erected in the sandy tract which we shall shortly mention in our progress
eastward from Bengerwkd. For had they been raised on a spot where other materials
could have been easily obtained, it is not probable that any so unstable as sand would
have been used for the commemoration of so noble an action as that which occasioned
their erection.
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is a small sandy bay which the Arabs call a port, and which might in
former days have served as a landing-place for boats. This Ras
(or head land), with Ras Houeijah, forms a spacious bay, in which
good anchorage might probably be found close up under the
western shore. After passing Bengerwad the coast gets lower, and
the road leads along an uninteresting flat between it and the hills.
Five miles from the Ras, upon a sandy point, are the remains of a
small fort, and about three-quarters of a mile inland of it are several
large mounds of sand and rubbish, through which appear occasionally
parts of the walls and ground' plans of houses. These are evidently
the remains of an ancient town, and the houses have here been
more concentrated than those of any town which we have observed
in the Syrtis ; but they are now in so very incumbered a state, that
we could form no correct idea either of their number or of their
plans. It is probable also that excavation would here be uninte-
resting, as the hand of time seems to have been fully as much con-
cerned in the destruction of this place as that of its most inveterate
enemies. Considerable traces of building may be observed all the
w^ay from these remains to the wells at Hudea, and indeed all the
way from BengerwAd ; and immediately about the wells the ground
plans become more regular, as well as more numerous. There is no
doubt that the greater part of this tract has been formerly inhabited,
but the mounds which we have mentioned seem to us more charac-
teristic of a town than any of the other remains ; and we will ven-
ture to suggest them as those of Charax, described by Strabo as a
trading frontier-town, resorted to by the people both of Carthage
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
193
and Cyrene. It was at Charax that the Carthaginians exchanged their
wine for the silphium, and the hquor which was extracted from it,
(so we translate the passage, reversing the order)* ; neither of which,
from the value attached to these commodities, were allowed to be
exported from the Cyrenaica by individuals ; and were consequently
disposed of with great caution and secrecy to the traders of Carthage
who assembled at Charax to treat for them.
As the identity of the fortress at Bengerwad with the tower of
Euphrantas may scarcely, perhaps, be considered as decidedly esta-
bhshed ; it will probably here appear strange that we shoidd point
out the vicinity of the ruins above mentioned to Bengerwad as one
of the reasons why we imagine them to be those of Charax.
But whether the tower of Euphrantas be placed at Bengerwad or
not, we cannot consider that place as any other than a boundary ;
and as Charax was evidently a frontier-towm, and must be looked for
somewhere in this neighbourhood, we may assume the vicinity of the
remains in question to the only spot which we have met with which
may decidedly be termed a boundary, as a reason why they are proba-
bly those of Charax. This once allowed, it will be the more readily
admitted that the ruin at Bengerwad is very likely to be that of the
tower of Euphrantas ; for Charax, as before stated, is the first place
which is mentioned by Strabo after that fortress, and may therefore
be identified with the first town to be met with in passing from the
* Eit’ aWos TOTCos xaXovjxsvos — u si/.7to^Bico ej^doivto Kapx.'wSovioi xof/.i^oi/rss oivov,
StVTKpOgTl^O/ljtEVOl Se 07T0V X(Zt (TlX(plOV TMH SX K.V^VWIS XncG^OC Tira^aXO/Al^OVTiUV' Lib. xvii.
p. 688.
194
JOURNEY FROM
tower to the westward. Here is however nothing certain but the
existence of a boundary, and that of a town a little to the westward
of it ; and it remains to be determined how far the facts which we
have stated may be received as proofs of the positions which have
been suggested for the tower of Euphrantas and the trading town of
Charax, both of which must be looked for between Aspis and the
bottom of the gulf, and to the westward of the Philasnean altars and
the fortress of Automala*.
In alluding to the sale of the silphium at Charax, which he places
as we have already stated at Zaffran, Signor Della Celia has indulged
himself in his favourite practice of emendation, and has proposed a
new reading in the passage of Strabo which mentions this town and
its commerce f.
“ I will not speak to you of the silphium (says the Doctor) till
I arrive in the place which produces it. ...but I cannot conceal from
you that I have allowed myself to read, in translating this passage of
Strabo, omv rov riXpiov, juice of the silphium, instead of otov kcu tri'kcptov,
juice and silphium.” “We know that from this plant, pecuhar to
the soil of the Cyrenaica, the Cyreneans extracted a most valuable
liquid which was particularly celebrated in those times. The juice
of this plant alone was sold on account of the state, and it was of
this liquid only that the contraband trade consisted which is men-
* For, after mentioning Charax, Strabo adds — nh' oi (ptXMvav /Soptoi, xai /ji.era, rovrovs
A.urofxaXa (p^ovqiov, (puXax.m s')qov, iSgo/XEVOi/ Kara rov f/.vy(pv rou koXhov itavrns' Here we
find the fortress of Automala placed in the innermost recess of the gulf, which is much
fai-ther to the eastward than the point to which we are at present arrived.
t Page 79, Italian edition.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
195
tioned by Strabo, and was carried on between the Cyreneans and
Carthaginians. If you will only reflect now (continues Signor Della
Celia, addressing himself as usual to his friend the Professor) that
the Cyrenean liquid is very often used by Strabo, and others of the
ancients, as a synonymous term for the silphium, you will agree
with me in the trifling alteration which is thus effected in the text of
the Grecian geographer.”
We must confess that the substituting the word of for and, and a
genitive case for an accusative, appears to us to be hazarding more
than would be ventured upon by critics and commentators in
general; and it is to be feared, at the same time, that there is
scarcely more reason for the changes here proposed than there has
been hesitation in suggesting them. For the plant called silphium
was as much an article of commerce as the liquid which was ex-
tracted from it, and we find them again mentioned as two distinct
things in the very next page to the passage of Strabo which Signor
Della Celia is so desirous of emending*. Pliny also distinguishes
them by separate names, calling the extract “ laser,” and the plant
“ laserpitium and many other authorities might be adduced to the
same effect ; so that we may perhaps allow the passage of Strabo to
remain in the state in which it usually appears, without any detri-
ment to its genuine and proper signification.
* O/X0g6i Se tti Y^vp'nvatcL rt TO aiXipiot (psqovaoi, xai Tov oTtoti Toy Kti^svctiov, ov to
TiX<pioy omaSEV — Lib. xvii. p. 837.
Pliny’s words are — Ab his proximum dicetur auctoritate clarissimum laserpitium,
quod Graeci vocant silphion, in Cyrenaica provincia repertum : cujus succum vocant
laser, magnificum in usu medicamentisque, &c. — (Hist. Nat., lib. xix. c. 3.)
2C 2
196
JOURNEY FROM
For ourselves, we are content to believe that the plant laserpitium,
or silphium, was really sold, or rather bartered, at Charax, as well as
the liquor which was extracted from it. We will however agree with
Signor Della Celia in deferring any further remarks on the silphium
till we find ourselves in the country which produced it ; and will in
the mean time proceed with our journey along the shores of the
Syrtis.
Soon after passing the several mounds which we have suggested as
the probable remains of Charax, we arrived at the wells of Hudia ;
a name which the Arabs suppose to have been given to this place
in consequence of the bad water usually found there, and which they
consider to be only fit for Jews ; the Arab term for a Jew being
Hudi, and the Jews themselves little esteemed by Mahometans.
We will not however venture to attribute this origin to the term
by which the place is distinguished, although it is by no means
improbable that the name may have a reference to the persecuted
people who are here so contemptuously alluded to. We know that
the Jews were formerly very numerous in the Pentapolis, and we
find them described by Procopius as having once inhabited the
country on its western extremity *. Hudia may in such case be
the last settlement they possessed in this neighbourhood, and the
place may very probably have received its appellation from that cir-
cumstance.
There being no other resting-place at less than a whole day’s
journey from Hudia, we pitched our tents for the night near the
• De iEdificiis, lib. v. p. 110-li. Par. fol. 1663.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZL
197
wells above mentioned ; about which we observed considerable
remains of building, of which nothing however now remains but the
ground-plans.
Hudia was a few years ago so much infested by parties of maraud-
ing xirabs, that although they had been completely destroyed or
dispersed by the vigorous measures of the Bashaw, yet the dread
which had been created by their former depredations still continued
to be felt in the place which was once the scene of them. Decoy-
fires were carefully placed by our Arab escort, in various directions,
at the suggestion of Shekh Mahommed, and that worthy personage
could not resist from bestowing a few hearty curses on poor Morzouk,
our watch-dog, who he said was too fond of barking. He related to
us, looking round every now and then as he spoke, the massacre
which was made among the robbers by Mahommed Bey, the eldest
son of the reigning Bashaw, and which the number of piles of
stones, which marked the graves of these unfortunate people, too
evidently proved to have been very extensive. It appears, however,
to have been very necessary ; and the consequence is, that the route
is now safe which was before its perpetration impassable.
Mahometan policy considers only the end without caring for the
means which may be used for its accomplishment, and the most
summary mode of getting rid of obnoxious persons is usually consi-
dered by Mussulmen as the best. If we did not approve this indis-
criminate slaughter, we certainly experienced the advantages which
resulted from it, and we slept much more quietly among the tombs
of the robbers than we should probably have been allowed to do had
they never been occupied.
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At Hudia there is a remarkable hill, through which gypsum pro-
trudes itself in almost every part ; it terminates in a conical mound
of pure gypsum, so smooth as to have the appearance of ice, the
diameter of the coije, at its base, being about thirty feet. We found
the valleys between the hills very fertile, producing, among other
flowers, a variety of wild geraniums, singularly mixed with a species
of leek, which flourishes there in great abundance. The water was
collected in a hollow between the hills, and having lately received
a fresh supply from the rains, was found to be tolerably sweet.
Neither its flavour nor its clearness were however much improved by
the provident cares of our Arab conductors, who began to wash their
caps and baracans in it before we were aware of their intentions ;
and it may readily be supposed that these articles of dress, which
were almost the only ones that our friends possessed, and which had
certainly not been washed since they left Tripoly, could not be par-
ticularly clean.
With this water, however, we managed to commemorate Christmas
day, which occurred while we were at Hudia, in a much better
manner (so far as conviviahty was concerned) than we should have
been able to do, had it fallen a few days later, in the barren, rocky
country which ensued, where no water is to be found at all. It
may be imagined by some that conviviahty and dirty water are
by no means compatible with each other ; but when the necessaries
of life become luxuries they will always be appreciated as such ; and
there are many occasions on which they who might think it impos-
sible to make merry without wine, would feel themselves both
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
199
able and willing to do so in a good hearty draught of muddy
water.
Our route on the following day lay over a barren and rugged coun-
try, which continues all the way from Hudia to the confines of Barca,
where the soil begins gradually to assume a better appearance. In
the afternoon, as we passed Mahiriga, we observed the remains of a
(quadrangular building occupying the summit of a low range of hills
which lay between our road and the sea. On a closer examination?
we found it to be different in plan from any building which we had
hitherto met with. At each of the angles there is a circular turrets
sloping down from the top, and becoming considerably wider at the
base. The sides of this building are constructed with well-shaped
stones of four and five feet in length, closely fitted together, and fast-
ened with an excellent cement ; but the turrets were found to be
built of much smaller stones, not shaped or put together with the
same attention to regularity, and proved on near inspection to be
built on to the outer walls and not into them. They may therefore be
considered as forming no part of the original plan, and have probably
been added at some early period by the Arabs. No traces remain
of the external roof of this building, but part of an arched roof is
still visible on the ground-floor within, which, from its inferior work-
manship, we should be inchned to attribute to the same period at
which the turrets were added. Traces of walls are also seen in the
inside of the building, which have formerly divided it into chambers ;
they are composed of very small stones and appear to be of later
work than the exterior. This fortress, for such it has originally
•200
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been, is surrounded by a wall of four feet in thickness, enclosing an
area of twenty five feet between it and the outer wall of the build-
ing, but there is no appearance of any trench. The enclosed
space is entered by a single gate in the wall which surrounds it,
but no appearance whatever of any entrance is observable in the
walls of the building ; and we must therefore conclude that there
was some subterranean communication with it from without, or that
they who entered were drawn up with ropes by persons already
stationed in the fortress ; as we have already observed to be the case
in other fortified buildings in the Syrtis. There are traces of other
walls about this building in dilferent directions, and the whole brow
of the liill on which it stands appears to have been formerly enclosed;
below this, to the northward, is a well, built in the soil, of not more
than two feet square, which is now filled up with rubbish to within
five feet of the surface, and near it are traces of another well, and
some large building-stones apparently little out of their places.
'Fhe present height of the turrets and outer walls of the fort are
about fifteen feet ; and were it not for the dilapidated condition of
the former, the entrance would not be easy without a ladder.
In a ravine at MahirTga we found some very good water, which
was particularly acceptable to a party of pilgrims from the westward,
by whom we were joined, on their journey to Mecca. They took
up their abode at night near our tents ; and after repeating with
great solemnity the proper number of prayers, made themselves very
comfortable round a large fire, which the chilness of the nights
began to render very necessary; and which was the more severely
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
201
felt from being contrasted with the sultry heat of the day, occasioned
by a parching southerly wind.
After consuming with excellent appetites whatever they could
procure from our tents, they would lay themselves down in a circle
round the fire, with their feet as close to it as they could bear, and
sleep very soundly without any other covering than their bernusse, till
the next hour appointed for the performance of their customary devo-
tions. They were not the least discouraged by the length of the
journey before them, or the difficulties and privations which they
would necessarily have to encounter ; but we uniformely found them
contented and cheerful, always offering their assistance, unasked for,
to our people, whenever it seemed to be necessary. Some of them
continued with us as far as Bengazi, and appeared to be very
grateful for the few piastres which we gave them there, to assist in
supporting them on the road to the Holy City.
We found a few Arabs who possessed some sheep and goats in the
neighbourhood of Mahiriga ; but we could not prevail upon them
to part with a single animal from their flocks, although they knew
we were wholly without meat, and would themselves have been
deUghted to obtain the money which they would have had in ex-
change for it. We could not at the time account for this obstinate
refusal ; but circumstances soon after convinced us that it was owing
to the intrigues of the Dhbbah.
We continued to travel after leaving Mahiriga over a country
equally barren and uninteresting with that to the westward of it,
and arrived at night at Linoof.
202
JOURNEY FROM
Early the next morning, as we were making the customary prepa-
rations for continuing our journey, we perceived that our new camel-
drivers had all assembled together, and on being told to bring the
camels as usual, not one of them stirred from his place, the whole
party exclaming in concert, in no very conciliatory tones, hiit el flus,
hat el flus, give us the money. Here was evidently one of those
concerted manoeuvres which Arabs of all classes are so skilful in
practising ; but we were at a loss to conjecture its real cause, which
is generally very different from the apparent one. At Boosaida,
where the camels were hired, we had arranged with the Dhbbah
that they should be paid for on arriving at Bengazi ; and the camel-
drivers themselves, who (with the exception of one) were all his own
relations, had certainly understood and agreed to this arrangement.
But they were now in a place which was too well adapted to their
views to be passed without inventing some scheme for extorting
money, a practice which is seldom omitted by an Arab when he
thinks there is a proper opportunity for making such an attempt.
A more dreary and barren spot could scarcely have been anywhere
found than that which our friends here selected ; it was at least
two days’ journey from any encampment, and wholly without pro-
duce of any kind ; if we except the rocks and stones of the soil,
and the jackalls and hyaenas which sheltered themselves among them.
It was imagined that being here without any resource, unable to
procure either provisions or water, and far from any inhabited place,
we should necessarily be induced to comply with whatever demands
it might be advisable to make on the occasion. They could not
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
203
really have been anxious about their money ; for they had seen the
former camel-drivers punctually paid, and well pleased with the addi-
tional gratification which their general good conduct had induced us
to make them. But the opportunity was too tempting, and they
could not find it in their hearts to pass it over. It is true that had
we paid them every day, the supply of money which we had brought
with us from Tripoly, for the expenses of the road, would not cer-
tainly have lasted us to Bengazi; and there were no means of
obtaining any more till our arrival at that place, where we had an
order from the Bashaw on the Governor of the town. N either the
camel-drivers, however, or their relation the Dfibbah, were at all
aware of the present slenderness of our supply ; and it was not
because they doubted our ability to pay them that they got up the
scene which was acted at Linoof, but because they thought the
opportunity too good to be lost, of getting what money from us they
could. Whatever may have been their object, we were determined
not to comply with it, and accordingly told them that although we
should not have had the least objection to comply with their pro-
posal, had they made it in a more proper manner, yet the insubor-
dination and the insolence which they had displayed upon the occa-
sion had determined us at all events to reject it. We reminded
them also of the understanding with which they were hired at
Boosaida, to which none of their party could plead ignorance, and
declared that we should certainly abide by it, whatever they might
imagine to the contrary.
In order however to leave open a door for reconcihation, we told
2 D 2
204
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them at the same time that their treatment depended upon them-
selves ; and that if they brought the camels immediately and con-
ducted themselves well for the future, we would pass over their con-
duct on this occasion, and make them some little present at Bengazi,
in addition to the hire of their camels, as they had seen us do to the
men of Mesurata. All we could with propriety concede was, how-
ever, of no avail ; the men positively refused to bring the camels, and
we as positively refusing to be imposed upon, they all began to drive
them away, and then ranging themselves in a row, un slung their
muskets from their shoulders and began hammering their flints, and
priming them afresh ; looking all the time as fierce and as formida-
ble as they could, as if they were resolved to carry their point at all
risks. A very little will convert a quarrel into a fray, and it was
certainly not our interest to begin one ; we were determined, however,
not to be bullied, and as fire-arms had now been brought forward as
arguments, we were not long in producing our own. We told our
opponents, at the same time that we had no wish to hurt any one of
them, that we were quite determined we would not be dictated
to ; and that if they persisted in not bringing the camels, we should
despatch one of our party, accompanied by the chaous, to procure
others from the Arabs of Barca ; and in case they refused to supply
them, to proceed on with all speed to Bengazi, where the Bey would
not fail to provide them with as many as we had occasion for. In
the mean time, we said, we should load our own horses, and go back
to the Arab tents at Mahiriga, where we should at least procure
water, and would subsist on our remaining stock of rice till the mes-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
205
sengers returned with the camels. We now threatened the Dubbah
with reporting his conduct to the Bashaw, who he very well knew
was our friend ; but he appeared not to mind what we said, and did
not offer to interest himself in our behalf. Our refractory camel-
drivers still refused to bring their camels, although they did not
attempt to proceed further on the offensive than the hammering and
priming above mentioned ; and nothing seemed left for us, but to
put our proposed plan into execution, however ill-timed the delay
might be to us, and however unpleasant might be the annoyances
which we should probably have been exposed to from the Arabs to
whose encampment we must remove, while at variance with the
Dubbah and his relations. As there was, however, no alternative but
submission to the mutineers, or the immediate adoption of some plan
like that we have mentioned, we made up our minds at once upon
the occasion; and having concerted arrangements for despatching
two of our party to Bengazi, we were proceeding to put them in
execution, when matters began to assume a different aspect, and our
project very happily was rendered unnecessary.
The Dubbah was the first who began to relent ; he had proba-
bly been reflecting upon our threat of reporting his conduct, and he
very well knew what an unfavourable footing he would stand upon
with the Bashaw, if he ventured so decidedly to disobey the injunc-
tions he had received from him when he was directed to conduct us
to Bengazi. He now came out of his tent, and going first to one of
his party and then to another, pretended that he was using all the
means in his power to induce them to relinquish their demands, and
206
JOURNEY FROiM
to bring their camels to be loaded as usual ; whereas one single
word from him would, at any time of the dispute, have been suffi-
cient to put an end to it altogether.
This farce was kept up, however, with all due solemnity ; and as
an opening was now made towards accommodation, we left Shekh
Mahommed to manage matters in his own way, without letting him
know we saw through his manoeuvres. It must be allowed, at the
same time, that the acting on both sides was excellent : some pre-
tended they were weighing the Dhbbah’s arguments very gravely,
while others made a show of not listening to them at all, and
walked away towards their camels as if to drive them away, the old
Shekh following closely, and holding them by the baracan, while he
went through all the manual of pantomimic persuasion. At last he
made his appearance in our servants’ tent, and told them very
gravely that he had succeeded in appeasing the malcontents, who
had now agreed to drop their demands, and to bring their camels to
be loaded. He then went through a long string of arguments which
he had been obliged to use to induce them to make these conces-
sions, but all of which had proved unavailing ; and he promised at
last (he majestically asserted) laying his hand at the same time on
his breast, to be answerable for the money himself! Nothing, how-
ever, would do, till he fortunately bethought himself of offering in
pledge the new gold-lace crimson burnoose, which His Highness the
Bashaw had presented him with on his departure from Tripoly ! All
eyes, he observed, were fixed on it, as he drew this precious object
out of the bag ; and when he unfolded the eloquent garment, and
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
•207
displayed all the logic contained in its rich folds, they had not a
word more left to say on the subject, but consented immediately
to receive it in pawn, and to abide by whatever he should decide.
It is scarcely possible for those who have had no dealings with
Arabs, to imagine all the trouble and exertions which they will give
themselves in getting up a performance of this nature ; the whole
piece too is in general so naturally acted, that if the spectators had
no cause for suspicion, they would seldom perceive that the acting
was overdone, which is almost invariably the case in some part or
other of the play. We had been much accustomed to scenes of the
kind, but till the time when the Dubbah began to interfere, we
never suspected that the parties were not in earnest, although it was
clear that they acted in concert. The good-humour with which an
Arab will bear his disappointment, when nothing after all is gained
by his stratagem, is another very prominent feature in his character.
He never appears to regret the trouble he has taken ; though it may
have cost him whole days to plan his manoeuvre, and a great deal of
personal exertion to put it in execution. He bears no ill will to the
persons who may have detected him ; but will relate the whole thing
as an excellent plot, immediately after its failure, and commend the
penetration of those who have baffled his best efforts to deceive
them.
It was not worth our while to undeceive the old Shekh, by letting
him know that we saw through the whole of this manoeuvre, and he
continued to give himself great credit for the mode in which he
had terminated it ; he really believed that he had greatly ingratiated
20B
JOURNEY FROM
himself with our party by having pawned the new gold laced bur-
noose above mentioned to extricate us from our hazardous situation,
and took every opportunity of making some pompous allusion to the
liberal part which he had acted. The camel-drivers returned to
their duty as usual, and we continued our journey to Muktahr, where
we arrived on the same day at sunset, just as if nothing had hap-
pened.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
209
CHAPTER IX.
Barren and desolate appearance of the Country in the Neighbourhood of Muktdhr — Sulphur
Mines at Kebrit — Extensive Marsh near Muktdhr — Arrive at Sachrin, the southernmost
Point of the Gulf — Singularly desolate and comfortless Appearance of it — Examination
of the Coast from the Heights of Jeria — Extreme Difference of its Outline from that laid
down in modern Charts — Suggested Causes of this Error — Accumulation of Sand on the
Beach in this Neighbourhood — Alarm of Signor Della Celia in passing it — Causes of this
Accumulation considered — Character of the Country at the Bottom of the Gulf — Obser-
vations of Signor Della Celia respecting it — Allusion of the Doctor to the Expedition of
the Psylli — Remarks on the Latitud e of this part of the Gulf — Monuments of the Philaeni
— Record of their Patriotism by Sallust — Various Positions of the Philsenian Altars by the
Ancients — Boreum Promontorium and Oppiduin of Celia rius — Suggested Causes of their
Position by this Author in the Bottom of the Gulf — Observations on the Nature of the
Soil of the Greater Syrtis — Allusion to the March cf Cato across it — Island called
Bushaifa at the Bottom of the Gulf — Gradual Improvement in the Appearance of the Country
— Arrival at Braiga — Remains observed there — Harbour of Braiga — Heaps of Sulphur-
lying on the Beach there for Embarkation — Salt Lake and Marsh at Braiga below the Level
of the Sea — Well-constructed Forts at Braiga — Braiga considered as the Site of Automala
— Contest between the Avarice and Conscience of the Dubbah — Its Termination in Favour
of the latter — Arrival at Tabilba — Excavations and Remains there — Tabilba considered
as the Maritime Stationes of Ptolemy — Arrive at Ain Agan — Chain of Salt Lakes and
Marshes said to extend two Days to the South-eastward — Island of Gara, probably the
Gaia of Ptolemy — Wells of Sweet Water, Two Miles to the North-cast of Shiebah — Abduc-
tion of a Lamb from an Arab Shepherd by our Party — Consequences of this Measure — De-
parture of the Di'ibbah in search of his Camels — Arrival at Carcora — Two Boat Coves ob-
served there — Springs of Fresh Water within a few feet of a Salt Water Lake — Arrive at
Ghimenes — Forts and Remains there — Excavated Tombs in the Neighbourhood — Change of
Weather experienced — Wasted Condition of our Horses from Fatigue and want of Water —
Hardy Constitution of the Barbary Horses — Treatment of them by the Arabs — Improved
Appearance of the Country in approaching Bengazi — Singular Fences of Stone generally
adopted in this part of the Country — Causes of their Erection — Position of Bengazi — Fertile
Appearance of the Country about it — Arrival at Bengazi — Friendly Reception of our Party
by Signor Rossoni, the British Resident there— Establish ourselves in the Town for the
rainy Season.
'I'he country which we travelled over after quitting Linoof was stony
and perfectly barren : no living creature made its appearance there,
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JOURNEY FROM
with the exception of a single hyaena, and a species of wild bull
which the Arabs call Bograh-wash, both of which ran off on perceiv-
ing us. Our route for the last two days had been over the rocky
ground a little inland, but the coast between Hudia and Muktahr
is low, with sand-hills here and there almost the whole way ; and
has many small bays formed between very low rocky flats, which are
in most parts not more than a foot above water.
Muktahr is the boundary of the districts of Syrt and Barca, the
line being marked by small piles of loose stones; and from here
there is a road branching off to some sulphur-mines called Kebrit,
which are situated a day and a half to the southward. The sulphur
is brought on camels from these mines to Braiga, where vessels occa-
sionally arrive to receive it ; and it is probably from that circum-
stance that the part of the gulf in this neighbourhood is called by
the Arabs, Giun el Kebrit (Gulf of Sulphur). Near Muktahr is a
remarkable table-hill called Jebbel Allah, and an extensive salt lake
(Esubbah Muktahr), along the edge of which we passed for a few
miles, and then crossing a ridge called Jena, proceeded on a feu
miles further to Sachrin, where we pitched the tents for the night.
We had now arrived at the most southern point of the Gulf of
Syrtis, and few parts of the world will be found to present so truly
desolate and wretched an appearance as its shores in this neighbour-
hood exhibit. Marsh, sand, and barren rocks, alone meet the eye ;
and not a single human being, or a trace of vegetation, are to be met
vdth in any direction. The stillness of the nights which we passed
in this dreary tract of country was not even broken by the bowlings
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
211
of our old friends the jackalls and hyasnas, which prowled about our
tents in other parts of the Syrtis ; and it seemed as if all the animated
part of creation had agreed in the utter hopelessness of inhabiting it
to any advantage *.
Sachrin may be said to be the bottom of the gulf, and it was here
more particularly desirable to ascertain the exact form assumed by
the coast in terminating this extensive bay. We proceeded there-
fore, early on the morning after our arrival here, to the high land
which we have mentioned at J eria, for the purpose of comparing the
actual form of the gulf at this point with that which is assigned to
it by the geographers who have hitherto described it. A thick mist
for some time concealed every part, but it cleared off before noon,
and we had then an extensive view of the whole line of coast. We
had the various charts before us, and the opportunity which now
offered itself was as favourable as could possibly be wished. But hov
different was the form which now presented itself to our observation,
from that which appeared in the authorities which we were enabled
to compare with it. Instead of the narrow and cuneiform inlet in
* In this neighbourhood was the cave of the formidable Lamia, so much dreaded bj
the children of the ancients. It is described by Diodorus as situated in a deep valley
formed in the rocks which occur soon after Automala ; that is, in passing from east to
west, for such was the course of the army of Ophelias, which is stated by the historian
to have passed it in their route to join the forces of the tyrant Agathocles. The account
which he gives of this afflicted royal lady , whose misfortunes at length rendered hei so
savage and remorseless, is such as to render it probable (if the story may be relied upon)
that she really at one time existed in this part of Africa. At least the mode in which the
fabulous parts of her history are accounted for appears to be sufficiently rational, and
the place of her residence is very decidedly pointed out. — (See Diod. lib. xx. p.
753—4.)
2 E 2
212
JOURNEY FROM
which the gulf has in modern charts been made to terminate, we saw
a wide extent of coast, sweeping due east and west, with as little
variation as possible ; and in the place of the numerous ports and
sinuosities which appeared in the maps before us, we saw a shore
but very slightly indented, which offered no possible security to
vessels of any description.
The chart ascribed to Ptolemy is the only one we are acquainted
with which approaches to something like the actual form of the coast ;
and every step which modern geographers have receded from this
outline has been a step farther from the truth.
It is difficult to say on what authorities the narrow inlet was
originally introduced which terminates the gulf in the charts above
mentioned ; unless, indeed, the terms which have been used by
ancient geographers, in describing this part of the Greater Syrtis,
may be supposed to have occasioned the idea. The castle of Auto-
mala is mentioned by Strabo as situated in the innermost recess of
the gulf*. And Pliny speaks of the coast inhabited by the Loto-
phagi (which he places in the Greater Syrtis) as being equally in the
innermost part of the bayf. It may be possible that these terms
have induced the more recent geographers to consider the gulf as
terminating in an inlet, and to hazard, on their authority, the intro-
duction of that which is now in question in the absence of any accu-
rate survey. If such meaning can be supposed to have been ex-
tracted from the term used by Strabo, his authority might certainly
* IS|y/AEV0V Kara. Tov Tov mXhov iraiflos' — Lib. xvii. p. 836.
f In intimo sinu fuit ora Lotophagon, &c. — Nat. Hist. lib. v. cap. 5.
Tripoly to bengazi.
213
have been safely relied upon by those who employed it on this occa-
sion without any reproach to their caution ; since this geographer
himself visited the coast in a vessel, and may therefore be supposed
to have seen what he described. However this may be, we can
positively assert that no inlet whatever exists in the Gulf of Syrtis ;
and that the direction of the coast at the bottom of the gulf is, as
nearly as possible, due east and west for a whole day’s journey toge-
ther ; turning afterwards to the northward so slightly, that this differ-
ence is scarcely perceptible to the eye. A large tract of quick
sand is also laid down by many in this part of the Gulf of Syrtis ;
but we have traversed the sand and the sand-hills which are found
here, on horseback, in almost every direction, and may safely affirm
that they afford as good a footing as any dry sand or sand heaps can
be supposed to present. If any other authority may be acceptable
in proof of the extreme dryness of the sand in this neighbourhood,
we have only to cite that of Doctor Della Celia to put everything like
scepticism on this point at rest. “ Woe be to us,” exclaims this gen-
tleman, (in describing the sandy tract here alluded to) “ if a sirocco,
or southerly wind, had unhappily overtaken us in this place, the
whole army would have been buried beneath the sands wffiich the
action of the winds here raised up in waves no less formidable than
those of the sea! I^ow if anything like moisture had really existed
in the formidable particles which caused the Doctor such alarm, he
might have looked in defiance at every point of the compass, without
anticipating, with so much well- described horror, the fatal conse-
quences which would have resulted to himself and the whole army
had the wind been unfortunately to the southward.
3i4
JOURNEY FROM
The anticipation of this premature burial was occasioned by the
passage of Signor Della Celia and the army over a long range of
sand-hills thrown up on the beach in this neighbourhood ; and
which are supposed by the Doctor to have been blown there from
the Great Desert to the southward. Of this latter circumstance
we have certainly some doubt ; and can more readily imagine
the “ seven hours and a half of real misery” endured by our
traveller, “ under the influence of a burning sun,” in passing the
sand-hills here mentioned, than we can suppose these unwelcome
impediments themselves to have travelled from the desert in the
interior. For all the sand-hills which encumber the beach in these
parts, as well as all others which we recollect to have seen in the
Syrtis, are, in our opinion, blown up from the beach itself, and not
from the desert to the southward.
The tract of country, at the same time, which intervenes between
these sand-hills and the desert is perfectly clear from any encum-
brance of the kind; which could scarcely be the case if the masses
on the beach had passed over it in their passage from the Sahara ;
but Signor Della CeUa is further confirmed in his opinion by the
circumstance of his not having been able to perceive, though he
looked, he says, very attentively, any chain of high land in the inte-
rior, between the sand-hills which he mentions and the desert*.
* Ho pure fatto attenzione in tutti questi giorni se scorgera, anche in distanza,
alcuna schiera di monti che da ponente si protendesse al levante, onde riconoscere se la
giogaiadeir Atlante realmentesi prolonga ne’ monti della Cirenaica, o bensi se rimpetto
al Golfo della Gran Sirte fosse interrotta. Ma nulla ho osservato che possa confermare
questa prolungazione. (P. 91), Ital. edition.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
'215
In the tract of country which lies at the bottom of the gulf” he
saw nothing whatever but sand, and no hills whatever but * sand-
hills.
From this circumstance the Doctor derives a new proof that the
sand-hills have travelled from the southward ; and in further proof
of the non-existence of any chain of hills in this quarter, he has in-
stanced the passage of northerly winds from the Mediterranean, to
find their equilibrium in the southern regions of Africa ; which pas-
sage they could not have elFected, he supposes, if they had had a
chain of hills to get over in their journey ! The Doctor then pro-
ceeds to relate the expedition of the Psylli, as recorded by Herodo-
tus, in further support of his position f ; but in telling us that when
these unfortunate gentlemen arrived on the confines of the desert,
they were all of them buried in the sands which there assailed them,
he does not express the surprise which might be expected at their
* Giacche in quest' ultimo I’ecinto del Mediterraneo non ho visto che sabbie ne
altri monii che di sabbie. (P. 92.)
t The Psylli we are told by Pliny, on the authority of Agatharcides, were so called
from their King Psyllus, whose tomb is said to have been somewhere in the Greater
Syrtis. They \vere remarkable for 1 heir power of charming serpents; and possessed
some innate quality of body which was considered to be destructive to these reptiles ;
so much so that the very smell of them was supposed to lull a serpent asleep. They had
a singular custom of exposing their children to the most venomous kinds of serpents, in
order to convince themselves of their legitimacy. If the serpents, on whom the trial was
made, did not fly from the children exposed to them, it was concluded to be a proof of
decided illegitimacy, since the animals, they imagined, could not avoid doing so, had the
infants been really descended from this gifted tribe.
It has been observed by other writers, that the Psylli merely cured the bite of serpents
by sucking the poison from the wound, and that they were therefore more indebted for
their reputation to their courage, than to any peculiar qualification of nature.
JOURNEY FROM
not having met with a similar accident long before they arrived at
that point ; for this misfortune might assuredly have happened with
equal probability before they set out on their journey to the south-
ward, if the whole of the country, as we are informed by the Doctor,
consisted of nothing else, from the desert to the sea, but the formi-
dable red sand which at last put an end to them. The fact is, how-
ever, that the “ ampia depressione” which is stated by Signor Della Celia
to exist between the bottom of the gulf and the great desert, is un-
fortunately interrupted by a chain of hills, a httle inland, of at least
four or five hundred feet in height ; and we will venture to assert
that, in the whole of the tract which has here been described by the
Doctor, there is no part where high land does not intervene between
the sand-hills and the desert alluded to. We are sorry to place so
substantial an impediment in the way of the northerly wind, which
the Doctor imagines could not go to the southward to gain its
equilibrium if such a bar were placed in its route ; but if the whole
country from the sea to the Niger were never again to be refreshed
with this desirable breeze, we must still be obliged to leave our hills
where we saw them in spite of so severe a misfortune. In stating
that the level supposed to exist between the bottom of the Gulf of
Syrtis and the great desert is not uninterrupted by hills, we must
also observe that these hills are not of sand, and that a great
portion of marshy and stony land is mingled with the sand which
the Doctor states to be exclusively found there. We must at the
same time remark, that the only part where the sand is red is
in the neighbourhood of the sulphur mines; and this pecu-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
217
'liarity may be considered as wholly occasioned by the nature of
the soil where it is found. It is besides of so fine a texture as to
partake more of the nature of dust than of desert sand, which is
neither so red nor so light. It is not raised up in large heaps like
the sand on the beach, but scattered over the surface in little hillocks,
on which a scanty vegetation is occasionally observable. In fact this
substance has no resemblance whatever either to the sand on the
beach or to that of the desert, and it ceases altogether with the soil
which occasions it. How^ Signor Della Celia could have confounded
it with the sand heaps thrown up on the beach w^e are at a loss to
imagine; for these are considerably whiter than the desert sand,
while the light powxler in question is considerably redder. Be-
sides, the sand-hills continue long after this substance has ceased
to appear; and in the parts where they are found in the
greatest masses there is not a particle of red sand to be seen. At
the same time that we differ on this point with Signor Della CeUa,
we must also confess that his conjecture with respect to the exten-
sion of the gulf to the southward is not better founded than his
remarks on the extension of the sand. For it is somewhat remarka-
ble, that while the shape of the bottom of the gulf has been so very
incorrectly laid down in modern charts as it is found to have been,
the latitude which has been assigned to it by the same authorities
is as near the truth as possible ; and we may safely affirm that the
most southern part of the Gulf of Syrtis does not approach at all
nearer to the desert than it is made to do in the charts alluded to by
Signor Della Celia, notwithstanding the confidence with which the
218
JOURNEY FROM
Doctor maintains a contrary opinion, on the authority of his friend
Captain Lautier*.
It is somewhere at the bottom of the Syrtisf that we must have
looked for the monuments erected to the Philseni, had they still been
in existence ; it appears however, as we have before mentioned, on
the authority of Strabo, that they were no longer extant in the time
of that geographer. But if the pillars have disappeared which
marked the spot where the brothers were interred, the record of
their patriotism still exists in the pages of history ; and the account
which has been given of this disinterested sacrifice by Sallust may
not perhaps be unacceptable to the reader if. “ At the time (says that
* Ed io incline tanto piii a credere quest’ ampia depressione di suolo giungere fine al
gran deserto, poiche per quanto posso congetturare dal caramino fatto non sarebbe
improbabile che 1’ estremita del golfo si prolungasse assai piu a mezzodi di quel che
trovasi nelle raigliori carte, nelle quali non saprei sopra qual fondamento e stata stabi-
lita. E' per me di qualche peso la relazione del Cap. Lautier, il quale non navigb cer-
tamente oltre il 30° 27' 1 1" di latitudine, ma da questo punto non iscopri il fondo del
golfo, ne v’ era apparenza di prossimita al continente. Ho ferma credenza che migliori
osservazioni confermeranno questa mia congettura. — (p. 94.)
+ For Strabo tells us (lib. iii. p. 171), in alluding to the custom practised by the
ancients, of erecting columns on particular occasions, that the monuments i-aised to the
memory of the Philseni were situated nearly midway in the Syrtis — at least, such is the
sense in which we must take this passage, to make it at all consistent with the position
allotted to the Philsenean altars in the seventeenth book. Although we may certainly
read in the passage we are about to quote, above mentioned, “ midway in the country
between the Syrtes" — for the Syrtes are here mentioned in the plural — and this cir-
cumstance would otherwise rather tend to confirm the position of the altars in the table
of Peutinger (as mentioned by Cellarius, lib. iv. cap. 3, sec. 3.) which is between the
two Gulfs of Syrtis. “ At, in Peutingeriana tabula vetusta, (says Cellarius) redacta;
hae arse sunt fere ad minorem Syrtim, ut dubitare possis de situ et positione ex tot auc-
toribus jam descripta.” Strabo’s words are — kou oi (piXaivwv Xsyo/Asvoi /Scu/zoi, Hara
zsou, TTiv rojv yzv.
J Bell. Jugurth. (79.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
2J9
historian) when the Carthaginians ruled over a great part of Africa,
the people of Cyrene were also powerful and opulent. A sandy
plain was on the frontiers of the two countries, the surface of which
was uniform and unbroken, and neither mountain nor river appeared
in it, by which the boundary of these kingdoms might be deter-
mined ; a circumstance which occasioned many frequent and bloody
wars between them. After various alternate successes and defeats,
they entered into the following agreement; that certain persons
deputed by each state should leave their home on an appointed day,
and that the place where the parties might meet should be consi-
dered as the boundary of the kingdoms.
“ Two brothers, named Philaeni, were appointed on the part of Car-
thage, who contrived to travel faster than the deputies from Cyrene,
but whether this was occasioned by accident, or the indolence of the
Cyreneans, I have not been able (says the historian) to ascertain.
“ Stormy weather (he adds) might undoubtedly occasion delays
in such a country, as well as it is known to do at sea : for
when violent winds prevail in level and barren tracts, the sand which
is raised by them is driven so forcibly into the faces and eyes of
those who cross them, that their progress is considerably impeded.
So soon as the people of Cyrene were aw^are of the ground which
they had lost, and reflected on the punishment which would await
them, in consequence, on their return, they began to accuse the Car
thaginians of having set out before the appointed time ; and when a
dispute arose on the subject, they determined to brave everything
rather than return home defeated. In this state of affairs, the Car-
thaginians desired the Greeks to name some conditions of accommo-
2 F 2
220
JOURNEY FROM
dation ; and when the latter proposed that the deputies from Car-
thage should either be buried on the spot which they claimed as the
boundary, or allow them to advance as far as they chose on the same
conditions, the Philaeni immediately accepted the terms, and giving
themselves up to the service of their country, were buried alive on
the spot where the dispute had occurred. On the same spot two
altars were consecrated to their memory by the people of Carthage,
and other honours w^ere also decreed to them at home
In the old map of Peutinger (as we have stated above) we find the
Philmnean altars placed much farther to the westward in the neigh-
bourhood of the little Syrtis; but the authorities of Ptolemy t-, Strabo,
Pliny, and Mela, are sufficient to fix them in the Greater Syrtis ;
and as they are expressly stated by Strabo (lib. 17) to have occurred
before Automala:]:, in passing from west to east, we must suppose
them to have existed somewhere in the tract of country just
* Major Rennell has observed on this subject “ At the date of Hannibal s expe-
dition to Italy, B. C. 217, the Carthaginian empire extended eastward to the Philse-
nean altars, which stood at the south-east extremity of the Greater Syrtis. The story
of the Philmni, as it is told, is in some points very improbable. It is said that the
parties set out from their respective capitals, Carthage and Cyrene, and met at the place
where the altars afterwards stood. Now the altars were situated at about seven-ninths of
the way from Carthage towards Cyrene ; and the deception would have been too gross
had it been pretended that the Carthaginian party had travelled seven parts in the nine,
while the Cyrenean party had ti'avelled no more than two such parts of the way.
Would either party have trusted the other with the adjustment of the time of setting
out? Perhaps they mutually set out at the opposite extremes of the territory in dis-
pute, and not from their respective capitals.”
-|- That is, if Ave may read the passage in the third book of Strabo, quoted above,
in the sense which we imagine he intended ; if not, he contradicts himself.
j; Ei5’ 01 ipiXaivwv jSafjiOi xai rovrous Avropt-aXa (pqovqtov, ipvXax-nv t%oy, i5§v/a£vov Kara.
rov j/.vy'pti rou y.oXTtou TTavros. — Lib. xvii.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
221
described, since the fortress of Automala is laid down by that geo-
grapher in the bottom of the gulf*. There is a difficulty in recon-
cihng the accounts of Pliny and Mela on this point ; for the Philae-
nean altars are mentioned by the former of these writers as placed
on the eastern boundary of the country of the Lotophagi, which he
lays down in the bottom of the gulf f . Mela may be understood to
assign the same position to the altars (although something appears
wanting in the text in this part to connect the two sentences toge-
ther) :j; ; but then he makes the country of the Lotophagi commence
at the Borion (Boreum) Promontorium, and finish at the promontory
of Phycus (answering to Ras Sem), and this will place the Lotophagi
far in the Cyrenaica, and out of the Gulf of Syrtis altogether, which
finishes at the Boreum Promontorium.
It seems to be with the intention of reconciling these accounts
in some degree, that Cellarius has placed a Boreum Promontorium
and Oppidum in the bottom of the gulf. And he is indeed some-
what justified in doing so, by the position assigned to a city called
Boreum by Procopius, which is mentioned by that writer as
the most western city of the Pentapolis, and distant about four days
* We have adopted the positions assigned by Strabo to these places, as being more
exactly defined ; and because it may be presumed that he saw the objects which he
describes, with the exception of the altars of the Philaeni, which he has stated to have
been no longer extant in his time.
■f* Nat. Hist. lib. v. cap. 5.
I Ejus promontorium est Borion, ab eoque incipiens ora quam Lotophagi tenuisse
dicuntur, usque ad Phycunta (et id promontorium est) importuoso litore pertinet. Ara-
ipsae nomen ex Philaenis fratribus traxere, qui contra Cyrenaicos missi, &c. — De Situ
Orbis, lib. i. cap. vii.
222
JOURNEY FROM
from Augila. This is the city which we have mentioned, in speaking
of Hudia, as having been inhabited by Jews of the Cyrenaica ; it was
exempt from the payment of tribute and duties, and was fortified
at the same time with the adjacent country, by the command of the
emperor Justinian *. But the Borion Promontorium is at the same
time mentioned by Pliny as the eastern extremity of the Gulf of
Syrtis, as which it is also considered by Ptolemy and Strabo ; so that
except we may allow that there were two places of this name, we can
see no mode of reconciling so many contradictory statements. This
accommodation, as we have mentioned above, appears to have been in-
tended by CeUarius, who has marked one of his promontories at the
eastern boundary of the gulf, and placed the other at the bottom of it.
We cannot quit this subject without observing that the idea
which appears to have been entertained by the ancients of the soil
of the Greater Syrtis, is not confirmed by an inspection of the
country in question. Cato is described by Strabo as having marched
his army across the Syrtis through deep and burning sands f, and
Lucan has given so exaggerated an account of the same march, as
to make his description almost wholly poetical Sallust also, in his
account of the Philmni, describes the “ level and sandy plain, in
which these monuments were erected, without either river or moun-
tain by which they might be distinguished But there is no sandy
* Vide Procopius (De iEdificiis, lib. v.)
-f- . . . co^evsi Se 9TE^or ev ai/.ix,u /SaSEios xasi nau/^aat. — Lib. xvii. p. 836.
+ Pharsalia, lib. ix.
^ Ager m medio arenosus, una specie ; neque flumen, neque mons erat, qui finis
eorum disceimeret, &c. — (Bell. Jugurth. 79.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
223
plain of this description in the bottom of the Syrtis ; and, although
there is no river, there are certainly mountains, if hills of sohd stone,
of from four to six hundred feet in height, may be entitled to that
distinction.
It is true that the chain of hills at the bottom of the gulf run in
an east and westerly direction, and might not, on that account, be
well calculated for objects by which limits in the same direction
might be ascertained ; but the account given by Sallust would lead
us to imagine (as it seems to have done Signor Della Celia) that the
place was without any inequalities of this nature whatever.
Again, if it be true that Cato marched his army over the sand-
hills which appear to have been so laboriously traversed by the
army which the doctor accompanied, it was certainly no very good
proof of the patriot’s generalship ; for, with the exception of one
place, where the passage is occasionally impeded by marshy ground,
reaching close up to the foot of the sand-hills on the beach, there
could have been no occasion for crossing the sand at all, since the
country to the southward of it is clear*. The same may be said of
the whole tract of country in general, where sand-hills are found in
the Syrtis and Cyrenaica ; the sand-heaps being confined to the
beach alone, and not overspreading the whole face of the soil.
* The water is, however, more frequently found among the sand on the beach than
elsewhere ; but it scarcely seems necessary that the whole extent of the sand-hills
should be traversed by the army on this account. Their guides must have known
where the water was to be found, without the necessity of traversing so many miles of
sand-heaps in search of it.
224
JOURNEY FROM
Indeed, after passing the bottom of the gulf, the country at the back
of the sand-hills becomes very capable of cultivation, and affords, in
many places, an excellent pasturage. So that if we should consider
the Syrtis in general as a large unbroken body of sand, which the
ancients seem mostly to have done, we should certainly form a very
wrong idea of the nature of the country in question.
North-west of Sachreen, which may be considered as the bottom
of the gulf, at about a mile and a quarter from the shore, is a small
islet called Bushaifa, with breakers east and west of it ; and to the
southward is a large marsh, with a ruin on a small rising ground in-
land of it : from here a valley extends eastward between the high
land to the southward and some sand-hills on the coast. The road
lies tolerably close along the sides of these sand-heaps, which in some
places rise abruptly from the edge of the marsh, leaving a very nar-
row path between the two. It was probably here that Signor Della
Celia and the army which he accompanied chose the passage over
the sand-hills in preference to that along the marsh at the foot of
them ; or it may be possible that the water of the marsh reached too
close to the sand-hills when they passed, to allow of any choice of
road at all. We however found the path at the foot of the sand-
hills very praeticable, although we were occasionally obliged to pass
singly along it. Had these sand-hills been capable of suddenly
detaching large masses from their summits or sides, we might occa-
sionally perhaps have been buried pro tempore under their weight,
and might, in some places, have experienced considerable difficulty
in extricating ourselves at all ; but we must confess that we did not
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
225
anticipate any very fatal effects from the action of southerly winds ;
nor did we believe it very probable that an avalanche of sand would
seize the precise moment in which we were passing under it to pre-
cipitate itself upon our heads. Two hours, we should imagine, would
fully suffice for the accomplishment of the passage between the
marsh and the sand-hills, at any season in which it might be practi-
cable ; and if double that time be allowed for the passage over the
hills in question, when that below might be impassable from the rise
of the water in the marsh, we should conclude it would be amply
sufficient. As there is no other part of the gulf in which it could,
at any time, be absolutely necessary to pass over the sand-hills at all,
we are at a loss to imagine why the army of the Bey, and that of his
Koman predecessor, should have given themselves so much trouble
in crossing them. Immediately after the marsh commences pasture
land, and after five hours’ journey from Sachreen, we arrived at a
place called Gartubbah, where we found some Arab tents, and esta-
blished ourselves for the night.
The next morning we proceeded on to Braiga, where we were led
to expect, from the report of our Arab guides, that we should find
a harbour full as good as that of Tripoly. Braiga has been a
strongly-fortified post, as appears from the remains of several well-
constructed and spacious castles which have been erected there.
On the western point of the bay which constitutes the mersa (or
harbour) is some tolerably high land, on which one of the forts has
formerly stood; but which is now so much destroyed and encum-
bered with rubbish, as to offer little interest on examination. Along
.2G
•226
JOURNEY FROM
the same range of hills are other remains of building, originally con-
nected with this fort, part of which we were induced to excavate,
but found the chamber which we cleared to have been merely a store-
house for grain, or a reservoir for preserving water. It had been ex-
cavated in the rock, on the top of the range, and may be considered
as offering an excellent example of the durable quality of the cement
employed by the Komans in its formation * : for the stone in which
it had been excavated had crumbled away, and left the cement with
which the interior had been coated standing upright in its original
position, in defiance of the storms of wind and rain which must have
frequently assailed it from the sea.
We found some Greek and Eoman characters traced in the interior,
and the representation of a ship and a palm-tree, of which copies will
be found annexed, together with plans of the forts and of the cham-
ber excavated. The surface of the cement on which these objects
had been sketched was as smooth and as perfect as it could have
been at any time, and we were in hopes, when we first saw the
drawings, that others would be found on further excavation, and
probably some inscription in Greek or Latin, by which we might
have dated these productions. No other drawings or letters how-
ever were found, and we were obliged to content ourselves with
taking copies of those described, and in making the plan of the
chamber.
The ground about this excavation, and, indeed, along the whole
* We have already assumed that the greater number of the forts In the Syrtis have,
in our opinion, been constructed by the Romans.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
227
range, was strewed with fragments of pottery and glass, among which
we found a brass coin of Augustus Caesar in a very tolerable state of
preservation. While the excavations were going on in this quarter
(for the outer wall of one of the forts was also cleared a few feet,
in order to obtain the measurements of the gateway by which it had
been entered) the plan of the harbour had been completed, as far
as it was possible without boats, and the reefs were set down by
bearings and estimated distance. The best landing for boats was
found to be under the high point which we have mentioned to the
westward, on which the fort excavated had been built ; and on the
beach at this angle were several heaps of sulphur, collected in equal-
sized masses for embarkation, which had been brought on camels
from the mines to the southward, and were said to belong to Ma-
hommed Ali, the Pasha of Egypt. South-west of this point there is
a large salt lake and marsh, which are evidently below the level of
the sea, as we perceived a stream of salt water oozing from out a
porous part of the rock on the sea-side, about eight feet above the
level of the lake, and running into it. 'Che land at the east and
western extremities of the lake is so low, as to render it very probable
that it may once have communicated with the sea, and that the
point on which the fort stands may have been an island. If there
should prove to be sufficient water in the harbour of Braiga, it is
probable that good anchorage would be found there, with all winds,
behind reefs of breakers extending across the mouth of it : it may
be easily distinguished by the very high sand-hills at the back of it,
and by the ruin on the rocky point mentioned at its western extre-
2G 2
228
JOURNEY FROM
mity. Among these sand-hills are some wells, in which the water,
though several hundred feet above the level of the sea, is perfectly
brackish. Beyond them to the southward is a hiUy country covered
with verdure, in which a number of camels were feeding, and nume-
rous flocks of sheep and goats ; but although we found ourselves in
the midst of such plenty, we were unable to purchase a single sheep,
in consequence of our friend the Dubbah’s manoeuvres. At Gar-
tubbah, which possessed the same advantages, we were equally
unable to succeed in a similar attempt. Among the green hills just
mentioned are several ruins of forts, of the same quadrangular form
as usual, and which have been built with large stones very regularly
shaped ; so that Braiga may be considered as a military station, and
must have certainly been one of importance*. If it be necessary to
p’ive it an ancient name, we shovdd consider it as the site of Auto-
o
mala, which was also a military station, according to the account of
Strabo 1 .
♦ A few miles inland of Braiga, at a place called Attallat, are the remains of a castle,
whose outer walls are still standing to a considerable height ; it is a quadrangular
building, surrounded by a trench ; and within it we observed the remains of anarch
constructed without a key-stone, in the manner of one at Tabilba, which we shall
allude to in describing that place.
t AvroyiaXa. ip^ov^iov, (pvXixxvv e%ov, &c.
It appears, upon the authority of Diodorus Siculus, that the fortress of Automala
was ali-eady erected when Gyrene was first occupied by the troops of Ptolemy Lagus .
for the army which was led by his general Ophelias to the assistance of the tyrant Aga-
thocles, then at war with the Carthaginians, pitched their tents, we are told, in the
neighbourhood of Automala, having consumed eighteen days in their march to that foi-
tress from the Cyrenaica.
Oxrw xai hxcc /aev r v ajptEgzr o^omoqmocvler, xai SieXQovtej ara^tous
•jtcpi Avroy-xkas . — Lib. xx. p. 753-4.
^ If It
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
229
Automala, it is true, has been laid down by this geographer at the
innermost part of the gulf, which must be taken as the most south-
ern point of it ; and the coast had already begun to bend to the
northward before we arrived at Braiga. But a place which would
answer to the description here given of Automala, could scarcely
have disappeared altogether ; and there is no place of any kind at
the bottom of the gulf before the occurrence of Braiga. The coin
of Augustus, which was found among the ruins of Braiga, would
afford some proof of its having existed in the time of that emperor,
and the form and solidity of the buildings which are found there
sufficiently point it out as a fortified position. No fortified place
is however mentioned to have existed in this neighbourhood, except
Automala; and if Braiga may not be considered as the remains of
that fortress, it has been wholly overlooked by the ancient authori-
If it could be positively ascertained from what point of the Cyrenaica the army of
Ophelias set out on their journey across the Syrtis, we shoidd have the position of
Automala sufficiently well ascertained ; but the historian merely states, that when everv-
thing was prepared for the expedition, Ophelias set his army in motion, without men-
tioning the precise point from which they set out, and that the distance which they
accomplished in eighteen days, as far as Automala, was three thousand stadia. Had
there been any point in the bottom of the gulf which could be decidedly fixed upon as
the fj:.uxos, or innermost recess of it, in which Strabo has placed Automala, there would
be no occasion for any other evidence of its jiosition ; but the coast is so straight at the
bottom of the gulf, that it is not possible to fix with accuracy upon any one point which
may be taken as the /x-ex,or in question. Sachreen is certainly the most southern point,
but the difference of latitude between this place and the other parts of the coast which
form the bottom of the gulf is so trifling, that it can scarcely be said to amount to
anything at all.
Braiga is the nearest place to Sachreen where any remains are found which will
answer to Automala, and that is twenty miles distant from it, in making the circuit of
the coast.
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ties, and we know of no name which can he properly bestowed
upon it.
We should be the more inclined to consider the fortifications of
Eraiga as those which are mentioned at Automala, from the circum-
stance of their vicinity to other remains, which answer extremely
well to those of the maritime stationes laid down in the map of
Ptolemy. In this map, the stations are placed a little to the
northward of Automala, with no other place intervening ; and the
position of Eraiga with regard to Tabilba, which answers precisely
to the maritimce stationes, is exactly that assigned to Automala in
the order here adopted by Ptolemy.
Sachreen may undoubtedly be considered as the extremity of the
gulf in its present state ; but a place which was only twenty miles
distant from it might well have been said to be situated in this recess,
by a person who viewed it from the sea, particularly when the out-
line of this part of the gulf is considered at the same time. Eraiga,
from the sea, must have, besides, been at all times very conspicuous ;
and we can scarcely imagine that the fort which stands so high above
the beach there would have been unnoticed by Strabo, had it existed
in his time, which we may suppose with probability that it did.
He has, however, noticed only Automala ; and it remains to be con-
sidered how fiir we are really authorized in assuming these places
as the same, upon the data already before the reader *.
* It may be added, that the forts in the neighbourhood of Braiga and Tabilba, erected
amoncr the hills a little inland, are very interesting, and much more perfect than usual.
A fortnight or three weeks might be very profitably and agreeably spent in making
out the interior ground-plans of these buildings.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
231
Before Ave left Braiga, one of the Arabs of the place brought a pre-
sent of five lambs to the tents, and gave them in charge to Shekh Ma-
hommed el Dhbbah, Avho, thinking that this would prove a most excel-
lent opportunity of showing his generosity to the best advantage, as
well as his extraordinary influence with the Arabs of the place, in
being able to procure sheep when we could not purchase them at all,
made his appearance with great ceremony at the entrance of our tent,
with two of the lambs above mentioned. After many compliments and
professions of service, he offered the two lambs as a present from him-
self, and begged we would do him the favour to accept them. As
we had lately found reason to be much dissatisfied with the Dubbah’s
conduct, we did not choose to be under an obligation to him ; and
having given him to understand the reason of our refusal, declined
accepting the lambs as a present, but offered at the same time to
purchase them. The old Shekh looked disconcerted, as we intended
he should be, and slowly retired from the tent. And now began a
parley between his avarice and his conscience, which terminated at
length in favour of the latter ; for, though not very tender on most
occasions, this inward monitor of our worthy conductor would not
allow him to r'eceive money for what he knew was already our own,
although it did not object to let him take the credit of presenting it
to us. The result was, that he soon after paid us a second visit,
bringing with him the two lambs as before, but which he now^
acknowledged were intended as presents to us, instead of to himself,
as he assured us he had imagined: he informed us, at the same time,
that the Arab who brought them was a shepherd belonging to the
•232
JOURNEY FROM
Bashaw, who wished to shew us what attentions were in his power, and
had presented us with the best that he had. The other three lambs,
he said, were really intended for him ; but we afterwards found, from
the shepherd in question, that the whole number had been presented
to us. We also discovered that the reason why we could not, on
many occasions, procure sheep or goats from the Arab tents which
we passed on our journey, at which we had often been surprised, was
because two of our party, followers of the Dubbah, had usually gone
before on pretence of reconnoitring, and had strictly enjoined the
Arabs not to sell us anything whatever. We afterwards recollected,
in confirmation of this manoeuvre, that the only times when
we had been able to purchase sheep were those at which we had
accidentally been in advance of this worthy couple and the Arabs
we chanced to meet seldom failed on these occasions to ask us, of
their own accord, whether we did not want a sheep or a goat, some
butter, manteca, or other articles of provision, which they would
have been able to furnish us with, and which they would, in fact,
have been glad to dispose of. We could assign no other motive
for this conduct on the part of our Arab guides, than the
wish of making us as dependent as possible upon themselves,
that they might either have an opportunity of showing their influ-
ence, or of planning with more effect some scheme to impose upon us.
Y et the very same people who would take so much trouble to forward
their own interested views, at the expense of another, would in all
probability consider themselves greatly to blame, or at any rate
highly disgraced, if they suffered a hungry traveller, of whatever
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
233
creed or nation, to leave their own tents unsatisfied, should he apply
to them for relief. But such is the inconsistency of Arab character ;
and it may perhaps be said, that he who should consider them as a
generous nation, because they practised this species of hospitality,
would be as much deceived in his opinion of them, as he would be
who should imagine that they have no liberal feelings, because they
are well skilled in selfish tricks and manoeuvres.
On leaving Braiga, we travelled over a hilly country to the east-
ward, and passed two interesting ruins of ancient forts, of which we
contrived to obtain plans. About noon we halted near a bold rocky
promontory, called by the Arabs Tabilba, on which are the remains
of a castle. On a hill just above it are the ruins of a very strong
fortification, which was connected with the castle by a wall of five
feet in thickness carried quite round the precipice on which it stood.
This was defended on the inland side by a fosse of thirty feet in
width excavated in the solid rock ; and the rubbish extracted from
it was piled up to form a bank on the outer side. On the beach are
the remains of a wall remarkably well constructed, or it never could
so long have resisted the violence of the surf which beats against it.
It appears to have formed part of a landing-place or quay which has
originally been built in its immediate neighbourhood. The interior of
the rock on which the castle stands has been excavated into numerous
galleries and chambers, which seem to have answered the purpose of
barracks. Some of these are very spacious and very well finished ; but
the dash of the sea, which now washes through the exterior chambers,
has completely destroyed their surface, and has left them in parts so
234
JOURNEY FROM
little foundation as to render it very dangerous to enter them. In
fact, the base of the rock in which these excavations have been made
is perforated like a honeycomb by the continual action of the sea,
which now washes through the hollows with a roar which may be
heard at a considerable distance, and must in stormy weather be tre-
mendous. In one of the chambers were several Greek inscriptions
which have been written with ink on the walls ; but they are now
so indistinct, that we could not succeed in copying more than a few
words of one of them.
They are written in what may be called the running-hand of the
Greeks of the Eoman Empire, and it is probable that one much
accustomed to this character might succeed, with the assistance of a
strong and steady hght, and the frequent apphcation of water to the
inscriptions, in making out more than we were able to do with the
little time we had at our disposal, and the hght we were able to
procure. In other parts of the rock were excavated tombs, some of
which were entered by a quadrangular well, in the manner of those
common in Egypt. We found nothing in any of them but scattered
bones, from which we were not able to ascertain the mode of burial
adopted. There can be no doubt that great part of the rock just
described has already been washed away by the sea, which has here
gained considerably on the land ; and several wells are now observable
some feet under water, which were of course originally above its level.
In the wall fronting the south, we observed part of an arch
protruding itself from among the rubbish which encumbered it ;
and found, on clearing it, that it had been constructed without a key-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
235
stone, of square blocks, arranged so as to touch each other at the
bottom, and having the interstices above filled up with good cement,
which appeared to be more durable than the stone. We found other
examples of arches so constructed in different parts of the Syrtis
and Cyrenaica. The appearance of the top of the arch just de-
scribed had given us hopes of discovering an entrance to some part
of the fortification through the wall in which it was formed ; but we
found to our disappointment, on clearing it from the rubbish, that
what we thought would prove the entrance extended no more than
three feet from the external surface ; and that all farther advance
was prevented by a solid wall built across it, which appeared to be
part of the original structure. Among the rubbish we found a silver
coin, and several copper ones, so corroded that it was impossible to
ascertain their antiquity.
We should willingly have given a much longer time to the exa-
mination of the ruins at Tabilba than the few hours we were enabled
to bestow upon it ; but the lateness of the season left us no choice
on the subject, and we had already spent more time at Braiga than
we could well afford to employ in such researches. It must how-
ever be confessed, that if we had doubted the probabihty of being
able to return and examine them with greater minuteness, we might
have been tempted to stay longer at many places in the Syrtis than
we should perhaps have been authorized in doing.
We have no hesitation in supposing Tabilba to be the site of the
maritimcB stationes of Ptolemy. Its position corresponds so w'ell with
that assigned to the naval stations in question, and its remains are so
2 H 2
236
JOURNEY FROM
well calculated to induce the belief that they have originally been
appropriated to the defence and accommodation of a considerable
number of men, that we cannot be sceptical on the occasion. On
either side of the promontory on which the castle has been built is a
small sandy bay, neither of which at present affords any shelter for
vessels, but from which the galleys of the ancients might have
been easily drawn up on the beach, when it might not have been
practicable for them to keep the sea.
This mode of sheltering their vessels was common to the Greeks
and Romans, to whom a port, such as in our days would be consi-
dered a good one, appears to have been by no means necessary. We are
told indeed by Strabo, that this part of the coast was very sparingly
provided with ports and watering-places *, and the harbour which he
calls the best in the Syrtis is now no harbour at all f. Mersa Braiga
is in fact the only port in the gulf which can at all be considered as
such, in our estimation of the term ; and here the shelter is only
afforded by breakers, and could not prevent the small vessels of the
ancients from being driven on shore in stormy weather.
On the day after our arrival at Tabilba we continued our journey
along the coast, and proceeded to Ain Agan, passing two ruins of
forts conspicuously situated on the hills. The beach in this neigh-
bourhood presents a very dreary prospect ; but the scene is much
improved after passing the wady, and the country then begins to
be cultivated. Many flocks of sheep and goats soon presented
* Ex SI Ss ro /xsra^u xoa Xi/xsves ov TtoWovs, v^peix Ss aitcma.. — Lib. xvli. p. 836.
y That of Aspis — v-aXhioros ruv sv rn SiigTsi.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
237
themselves to our view, and tents were scattered about in all direc-
tions. We procured from the Arabs here a scanty supply of corn
for our horses, of which the poor animals stood very much in need ;
but we were obliged to apply for it in a more decided tone than we
had hitherto found it necessary to assume on such occasions, as the
Arabs, though they had plenty, were not very willing to part with it.
There are some wells of brackish water at Ain Agan, which is how-
ever the best that this neighbourhood affords, and we were glad to
fill all our water-skins with it before we proceeded any farther.
A few miles from Ain Agan is a remarkable hill, called Aalum
Limarish, the summit of which overlooks an extensive tract of coun-
try, and Mersa Braiga may be plainly distinguished from it. To the
southward of Ahlum Limarish we observed a chain of lakes and
swamps, which the Chaous informed us extended two days to the
south-eastward. They communicated with the wady at Ain Agan,
and might once have joined the sea; the water in them is quite
brackish.
To seaward we observed an island about a mile in length, with
breakers east and west of it extending a considerable distance ;
from which we may infer that it was once much larger. The Arab
name for this island (which is Gara) too much resembles that of
Gaia, one of those laid down by Ptolemy, to leave much doubt of
their being the same. Gara is situated farther to the north east-
ward than the island which we allude to in the map of Ptolemy, and
is besides nearer the coast ; but the simiharity of the names cannot
here be overlooked, and we do not hesitate to identify it with Gaia.
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JOURNEY FROM
At about a mile from the shore, nearly opposite Aalum Limarish, is
a remarkably white rock, about forty feet high, and steep on all
sides ; it has breakers scattered about it, and should not be closely
approached tiU better known : beyond this rock, which is called
Ishaifa, we perceived the sea breaking heavily over another rock, as
much as four miles from the shore, which extends itself in reefs
towards G^ra. There are two other islands laid down by Ptolemy in
the Gulf of the Greater Syrtis ; but one of these is placed in the
neighbourhood of Aspis, where we could perceive nothing whatever
like an island, and the other is laid down so far in the centre of the
Gulf, that we could not certainly have seen it had it been still in
existence. On coming abreast of Gara, which hes about six miles off
shore, we had a good opportunity of observing it with our glasses ;
it appeared to be covered with verdure, and we thought we per-
ceived some appearances of building upon it ; it rises in white cliffs
from the sea, in some parts very abruptly, but the table-land on their
summits was green when we passed it. It was in vain that we
longed for some means of crossing over to this island, for there is not
a boat or a vessel of any description to be found from one end of
the Gulf of Syrtis to the other ; but we consoled ourselves with the
idea that it would be visited by the officers of the Adventure, which
we afterwards found to have been the case. In passing by Ain Agan,
the Shekh of the place paid us a visit ; but as we found that we
could obtain no information from him, and he soon discovered that
there was little chance of getting any bakshis from us, the visit was
not of very long duration. From Aalum Limarish to Sheibah, the
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
239
country is much encumbered with sand-hills, which are however
I
partially covered with vegetation ; and finding we made but little
progress in passing among them, we kept along the beach, which is
hard and level as far as Rhout el Assoud, so called from its dark
colour. Near Sheibah we found the water tasted very strong of
sulphur, besides being brackish and stinking, but among some sand-
hills two miles beyond it there were several wells of sw^eet water ; a
circumstance which it is essential to know, as the water of Sheibah
can scarcely be called drinkable, and there is no other but that just
alluded to at less than two days from the place.
On our w’ay to Rhout el Assoud we passed several flocks of sheep,
but could not persuade the shepherd to part with a single one.
As we were now heartily tired of being so often refused what there
seemed to be no sufficient reason for withholding, we told the man
that we should act as the Bashaw’s people would on similar occasions,
if he did not think more considerately on the subject ; which was as
much as to say, that if he would not part with his sheep voluntarily,
we should certainly make bold to take it without his leave ; the only
difference being, that His Highness’s people would have taken the
animal without paying for it, while we were quite ready to pay the full
price of it. But the Arab, who had evidently been tampered with by
the Dfibbah, was steady in his decided refusal; and we were too hungry
to wait very long in endeavouring to reason him out of his obstinacy.
Besides, we had already proposed an alternative, and could not with
credit avoid putting our threat in execution. As neither our dignity,
therefore, nor our appetites, would allow us to discuss with our obsti-
nate Arab friend the propriety or impropriety of eating his mutton
240
JOURNEY FROM
against his will, we judged it better to dispense wdtli all such logi-
cal minutiae on a subject where the parties were not likely to agree,
and, dropping the argument, we took up the sheep, and tendered
the money we had offered for it. Our opponent, however, was still
as obstinate as before in refusing to take our piastres, though he
saw a fat sheep take its departure from his flock, and occupy a
position upon our Chaous’s shoulders, while nothing remained to
him in lieu of it. We had no doubt, on our leaving him, that he
would change his mind before long, and told him, in consequence,
where we meant to pitch our tents, that he might come for his
money at his own leisure and convenience. But the sheep was killed
and eat, at least a good part of it, and stiU no shepherd appeared ;
and we went to sleep in full assurance that he wmuld come the next
morning before the camels were loaded. During the night our
Arab watch-dog kept up a continual barking, very much to the
annoyance of old Shekh Mahommed, who was ahvays rejoiced to
have any opportunity of finding fault with poor iVIorzouk, w^hom he
frequently honoured with the titles of useless cur, noisy rascal, and
other equally flattering appellations. Our whole party, however,
t
were too much tired with the day’s exertions to pay any particular
attention to this warning ; and indeed it must be said that our
shaggy young guardian was too much in the habit of employing
his nights in barking merely for his private amusement, to render
any further notice of him absolutely necessary, than that of lifting
up occasionally the canvass of the tent to throw a stick or a stone
at him, accompanied in general with some little verbal admonition.
No one, however, w^as kept awake on this occasion, so far as we have
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
241
been able to learn, but old Shekh Mahommed el Ddbbah ; and we
have reason to believe that his opinion of Morzouk’s sagacity was
not quite so indifferent after this night’s alarm, as it had been before
its occunence; for the hrst thing which he discovered on turning
out in the morning, which he usually did very early, was that three
of his camels were missing ; and on summoning his people, and
searching everywhere in the neighbourhood, no traces whatever
could be seen of them, but the track of their footsteps in the sand,
with those of a man in their company.
It was impossible not to laugh when the fact became current that
some of the Dhbbah’s camels had been stolen, and we really believe
that every individual of our party, with the exception of himself and
his sons, were wicked enough to enjoy the circumstance, and to con-
sider it as an excellent joke. No sooner were the traces observed
by the Dubbah of the man’s footsteps who had carried off his camels,
than he knew them to be those, at least so he declared, of our obsti-
nate friend the shepherd above mentioned. The man certainly
never made his appearance again while we remained in the neigh-
bourhood, and it is probable that he took this summary process of
paying himself for the sheep which had been so unceremoniously
transferred from his flock to our kitchen kettle.
Three camels were no doubt something more than a fair remu-
neration for the loss of a single sheep ; but then something was to
be allowed for the risk of the raid, and everybody owned that the
camels had been lifted in a very neat and expeditious manner, such
as would not have disgraced the keenest moss-trooper on record in
242
JOURNEY FROM
the annals of Border exploits. The animals had perhaps been sup-
posed to be ours ; or it may be that the reaver was not particular
as to property, and had merely contented himself with taking as
much as he could carry off, without reference to the doctrine
of retribution. Be this as it may, the visitation had in reality
fallen upon the head of the proper person ; for had it not been
for the intrigues of the Ddbbah, our obstinate friend would have
been happy to sell us as many sheep as we might have required of
him ; and we were all too well convinced of this circumstance to
regret the loss which the old Shekh had sustained.
Our stock of provisions, both for ourselves and our horses, was by
this time so much diminished, that we had (we know not whether to
say luckily or unluckily) no absolute occasion for the camels which
were missing ; and the remaining ones had little more to carry, in
addition to their former loads, than a collection of empty baskets and
boxes, which could now only serve to feed the flames or the camels
themselves There was in consequence no occasion for delaying
our advance, by seeking to replace the loss sustained; and we con-
tinued to move on as usual, with no other motive for discontent than
the absence of old Shekh Mahommed, whom we sadly longed to
plague on his indifference to the summons which had been so loudly
* It must be observed, that an old wicker-basket is by no means an unsavoury dish
for a hungry camel, and the animals in question had already dined off much tougher
materials ; for the date-stones which we had occasionally given them, in the absence of
other tenderer meat, were eaten up with a relish which left little room for doubting
the speedy disappearance of hampers and baskets, whenever we might afford to serve
them up as entremets.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
243
and unceasingly given him by the “ useless cur Morzouk, who always
barked without the slightest occasion.” But the Dhbbah had taken
horse before the camels were loaded, and was following the tracks of
«
his lost animals as fast as he could spur his old mare.
At a short distance from Rhout el Assoud, we observed, to the
north eastward, about a mile distant from the shore, six rocks con-
nected by breakers, under which there appeared to be good ancho-
rage for small vessels : the coast opposite them is Ioav, and formed in
shallow sandy bays, some of which have rocks extending across their
entrance, and would afford protection for boats. At night we halted
at Shohan, without having seen a single hving object during the day.
On a hill near Shohan are the remains of a Marabut, overlooking a
large plain covered with brushwood. From this hill we could
perceive the ruins of two forts situated upon eminences to the south
eastward. On the following day, after travelling eight hours along a
plain, bounded by marsh and sand-hills towards the sea, we reached
Carcora, where we hoped to find the place described by Captain
Lautier on the north side of the bay, in which he states that he
discovered an ancient well containing many Greek inscriptions*.
All our researches, however, on this point were unavailing ; and the
Arabs we met with about Carcora were all positive in affirming that
no such well existed. We had the more reason to regret our failure,
* Nel fondo di questo seno v’ ha un pozzo di acqua dolce, ove si attinge a una gran-
dissima profonditi, sopratutto in estate. E' rotondo, con una scalinata interna, per la
quale vi si puo facilmente discendere. Ad ogni dieci scalini vi si trovano scolpite
inscrizione in Greco. Fiirono impiegate nel mese di Settembre ottanta tre braccia di
corda per attignerle 1’ acqua. — (Della Celia : Viaggio da Tripoli, &c. p. 220-21.)
2 12
244
JOURNEY FROM
as the inscriptions (should they have turned out to be legible)
would most probably have given us names and dates which
might have been essentially useful to us, and could scarcely
have failed of being interesting. There are at Carcora two
coves which would serve for boats; they may be known by some
high sand-hills lying between them, and by two ruins situated
upon the hills inland nearly abreast of them *. With the exception
of these coves, there is nothing whatever of any interest on the
coast between Carcora and Bengazi. Inland, however, there are
many ruins of ancient forts, and considerable remains of building,
which become more numerous and interesting as they approach
Bengazi. At Ghimenes, which is a day’s journey to the northward
of Carcora, there are several interesting remains of ancient forts ;
some of which are altogether on a different plan from those which
have been already described. They are built of large unequal-sized
stones, put together without any cement, and made to fit one into
another in the manner which has been called Cyclopian. Their
form is a square, with the angles rounded off, and some of them are
filled up with earth, well-beaten down, to within six or eight feet
of the top ; the upper part of the wall being left as a parapet to the
terrace, which is formed by the earth heaped within it.
In the centre of the terrace we sometimes found the foundations
of building, as if chambers had been erected upon it ; the roofs of
* At the foot of the sand-hills at Carcora there are some springs of fresh water,
remarkably sweet and good, within a few feet of an extensive salt-marsh, and on the
same level with it. The circumstance is worthy of remark, although there are other
instances of similar occurrences.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
245
which, in that case, must have been higher than the outer walls
which formed the parapet ; and a space seems always to have been
left between these central buildings and the parapet, in which the
garrison placed themselves when employed in defending the fort.
An opening like a window was observed in the parapet of one of the
Cyclopian castles at Ghimenes, which might have been used for
drawing up those who entered the fort, as there was no other mode
of entrance whatever. In fact there could scarcely have been any
communication between the upper and lower parts of these erections ;
for the whole space between the walls was filled up with earth in
the manner already related, to within a few feet of the top. We
noticed near most of them a small rising ground, with one or two
wells in it, having remains of building about it ; they were gene-
rally within fifty yards of the fort, by which they were commanded.
The castles have most of them been surrounded with a
trench, on the outer side of which there is generally a low wall
strongly built with large stones. Some of the trenches which have
been excavated in the solid rock of the soil are of considerable depth
and width ; and in one instance, occurring between Ghimenes and
Bengazi, we observed chambers excavated in the sides of the trench,
as we find to be the case in that which surrounds the second pyra-
mid, and which is equally formed in the rocky soil on which the
building stands, although of course on a much larger scale. The
trench of the fort here alluded to is about five-and-twenty feet in
width, and its depth about fifteen ; the fort itself is an hundred and
twenty-five feet in length, and ninety in width, of a quadrangular
form, and in the centre of each of its sides is a quadrangular projec-
246
JOURNEY FROM
tion, sloping outwards from the top, of twenty feet in length by
twelve, which appears to have served both as a tower and a
buttress.
The measurements are here given in the rough, but they will be
found in detail by a reference to the ground-plan and elevation ISTo, 9,
in the plate containing the details of some of the forts which have
been noticed in the course of the journey.
In some instances we found wells in the trenches surrounding the
forts, at others, within the outer walls ; and more frequently without
the forts altogether, among traces of building in their immediate
vicinity. T. he remains of building last mentioned were sometimes very
considerable ; but the ground-plans alone of these are now extant,
from which little more may be collected than that the chambers
were built in squares, ranged in line with some attention to regula-
rity, though differing a good deal in size. Tombs are occasionally
found excavated in the neighbourhood of such forts as are built on
a rocky soil; but we never were fortunate enough to find any thing
in them which could point out decidedly the mode of burial which
had been adopted. Some of these were entered by wells of different
depths, and others by approaches cut in the rock, sloping down from
the upper part of the door, like those in front of the Kings’ tombs
at Thebes.
The remains about Ghimenes and Imshaila may answer to those
of the Diachersis Preesidium of Ptolemy ; but we are not aware of
any remains which may be pointed out on the coast as those of the
Turris Herculis, or of the Diarrhoea Portus, of this geographer.
When we had arrived within a day’s journey of Bengazi, the wea-
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
247
ther, which had hitherto been very fine for the time of year, began
to show that the rainy season had commenced in good earnest, and
we congratulated ourselves in having escaped it so long ; for had the
bad weather overtaken us sooner, it would effectually have put an end
to our researches, and obliged us to advance as fast as possible upon
Bengazi, the only place which could have sheltered us between
Mesurata and Derna. Indeed, it would have been difficult to make
any progress at all ; for the ravines would, in a few hours, have
assumed the form of torrents, and the marshy ground have become
everywhere dangerous, and in most places wholly impassable ; our
camels besides would have fallen every moment under their loads, as
they cannot keep their feet in slippery weather, and some of our
horses would certainly have sunk under the exertions which would
have been necessary to overcome these additional disadvantages.
As it was, we had been obliged to lead two of the horses for several
days before our arrival at Bengazi, and it would indeed be thought
extraordinary, by those accustomed only to the horses of Europe,
that any of them arrived there at all after the fatigues and priva-
tions which they had endured. They had all of them been rode
through the whole of the day, over a country without any roads, for
more than two months successively, exposed to the heat of the sun
during the day, and without any shelter from the cold and damp of
the night ; while at the same time, instead of having any extra allow-
ance to enable them to support this exertion, they were often left,
unavoidably, for more than four-and-twenty hours, without anything
whatever to eat or drink, and on one occasion were as much as four
248
JOURNEY FROM
days without a drop of water of any kind. It may therefore be rea-
dily imagined that they were not in very excellent condition before
half the journey had been accomplished, and indeed it w as distressing
to see the w^asted carcasses which most of them presented on arriving
in the neighbourhood of Bengazi ; but we may venture to say that
few, if any, European horses, under similar circumstances, w^ould have
survived the journey which they performed at all ; much less have
displayed the activity and spirit which never left them, under so
much fatigue and privation.
We were often amused, in spite of his forlorn condition, with the
spirit exerted on all occasions by an old white horse, which was rode
by one of our servants ; he had belonged for many years to a soldier
of the Bashaw, and his face w^as well known to all the Arabs of Ben-
gazi, as a constant appendage to the army which came there occa-
sionally to collect the tribute. This fine-spirited animal, before the
journey was half over, had scarcely a leg to stand upon, yet he never
for a moment forgot his military habits, and would arch his neck,
and curvet, and throw himself back on his haunches at the slightest
application of the spur. No fatigue or exhaustion could ever make
him forget that he had once been a charger of some consideration :
even in w^alking he would lift up his legs, and step out, wdth all the
parade and importance of a horse trained at Astley’s or the Circus ;
throwing his head about, at the same time, from one side to the
other, as if he took a delight in displaying his long mane, and shew-
ing himself off to advantage.
It may weU be supposed that no exertions of our own were at
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
249
any time wanting to procure food and water for the weary animals
who had so amply deserved them ; but we could only carry a certain
portion of corn with us from Tripoly, and when this was exhausted
we were obliged to depend upon occasional supplies from the Arab
tents we met with in our route, and the scanty pasturage which
the Syrtis afforded.
The distance at which some of the wells were placed from each
other was the occasion of our being often without water ; and our
horses, though suffering greatly from thirst, would frequently refuse
to drink the water which we were glad to drink ourselves, when it
chanced to be more than usually brackish.
It often happened when they had been long without water, or
were more than ordinarily fatigued with the day’s exertions, that some
of them would refuse to eat at all, though they had been without
food the whole of the day, as well as all the night which preceded it.
They were never in the habit of being fed more than once a day,
which was in the evening, when we stopped for the night ; so that if
they refused to eat their corn at that time, or before starting the
next morning, it was more than probable that they would get
nothing till the tents were pitched again, after sunset, on the evening
succeeding. Under these circumstances they would perhaps have
to trot hard the whole day, and occasionally to gallop, when we were
pressed for time ; sometimes along the loose sand on the beach, and
at others up and down hill in every direction, wherever there was
anything to examine : all this often happened during a hot south-
erly wind, and under a burning sun, which kept them in a continual
250
JOURNEY FROM
fever, without their appearing to sustain any particular inconveni-
ence, or to be more than usually exhausted at night*.
The habit of feeding horses only once a day is common in Africa
under the most favourable circumstances. Their meal is after sunset,
and before their corn is given them they are generally allowed to
drink as much as they like. After this they get neither corn nor
water till the same time on the following day. Some of the Arabs
make a constant practice of obliging their horses to go two days
without drinking, in order to accustom them to support with a bet-
ter grace the privations they must occasionally be exposed to in the
desert ; a mode of training which would probably have the same
effect on our Enghsh horses as that which is said to have resulted
from the well-known experiment of the Frenchman, who had just
contrived to make his horse do without food, when he was unluckily
prevented by the death of the animal from availing himself of so
important an advantage.
A few weeks’ repose in a comfortable stable at Bengazi was, how-
ever, sufficient to restore most of our horses to their former strength
and condition; and they afterwards carried us in very good style
over the steep woody hills and rugged passes of the Cyrenaica.
From Carcora to Bengazi the country improves at every step, and
we soon found ourselves surrounded by extensive crops of barley and
abundance of excellent pasturage : this increase of produce was natu-
* The horses, when we stopped, were ranged in a line along a thick cord, to which
their fore legs were fastened ; and a smaller cord was passed from this to one of their
hind legs, to prevent them from kicking one another.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
251
rally attended by a corresponding increase of population, and nume-
rous flocks and herds were everywhere seen where the soil was not
appropriated to cultivation. A great part of the country from Ghi-
menes to Bengazi is encumbered by blocks of stone, placed upright
in long lines, which are crossed at right angles by others, so as to
form a complete labyrinth of inclosures. This peculiarity appears to
be occasioned by the nature of the soil, which, although rich and
excellent, is covered everywhere with a surface of stone of various
thickness, which it is of course necessary to break up and remove, in
order to cultivate the soil beneath it. To move the blocks, which
are taken up altogether from the ground, would be an endless and
perhaps a supei-fluous labour ; and they have accordingly been
ranged in the manner we have mentioned, serving at the same time
as boundaries to property and as impediments to the approach of an
enemy. Before we were well acquainted with the nature of these
inclosures, we thought to pass in a straight line across them to the
several ruins which attracted our attention ; but after leaping our
horses over some of them, and making them scramble over others, we
soon found the labour was endless ; and that the longest way about,
as the old proverb teaches us, was in reality the shortest way home.
Instead of attempting, in consequence, to advance any farther in a
direct line to the object of our inquiry, we sought for some path
between the walls which might lead us as near to it as possible.
After some little trouble, we discovered that long alleys were occa-
sionally left in different directions, serving as roads to the places of
greatest resort. These we afterwards found it most advisable to
2 K 2
252
JOURNEY FROM
follow, though they did not lead us quite in the direction we wished ;
and having got as near to our object as they could carry us, we had
seldom many walls to scramble over before we reached the place
where it stood. It is probable that some of these walls are of very
considerable antiquity ; for the soil in this neighbourhood could not
at any time have been cultivated without removing the crust of stone
from its surface ; but we could not discover any inscriptions upon
them, though we often examined them with the hope of being able
%
to do so. We observed that in the vicinity of the forts the walls
were usually placed much closer together, and the inclosures were in
consequence smaller than in other parts.
The extensive plain in which the town of Bengazi is situated, is
bounded to the southward by the range of high land, on whose
summit Cyrene once stood so conspicuously ; and the whole of the
plain at the foot of this range is covered with vegetation from
the hills to the sea. The sight, we believe, was refreshing to all
parties ; for our very horses and camels appeared to partake of the
pleasure which we could not avoid feehhg ourselves in contemplat-
ing so agreeable a scene. One of our party was dispatched in
advance to Bengazi, accompanied by the Bashaw’s Chaous, to ap-
prize the British resident of our approach, and to concert with him
such measures as might be necessary for our accommodation in the
town, where the violence and long duration of the winter-rains
would oblige us, we well knew, to remain for some time. It was
night before they reached the salt lake by which Bengazi is nearly
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
■253
surrounded, and which it was necessary to cross before they entered
the town ; the rains which had already fallen had swelled it more
than the Chaous had anticipated, and the darkness of the night ren-
dered it difficult for him to find the spot at which it was necessary
to ford it. After wandering about the banks for some little time in
uncertainty, and trying several plans without success, they at length
reached the opposite shore ; though not before their horses had
plunged into several holes, from which they could only extricate
themselves by swimming. On the following day our whole party
arrived at Bengazi, and were received with every mark of attention
and politeness by Signor Bossoni, the British Vice-Consul, to whom
the necessary instructions from Mr. Consul Warrington had already
been forwarded. We found that Signor Rossoni ^vas already in treaty
for the house of an Arab Shekh, one of the best which the place
afforded, and only waited our arrival to arrange the terms on which
we were willing to take it : these were soon settled, and we took
possession of our new abode the day after our arrival in the town,
and began to make ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would
allow, under the disadvantages of a rainy winter, at Bengazi.
Bengazi is allowed to have been built upon the site once occupied
by the town of Berenice, the most western city of the Pentapolis ;
but before we proceed to describe this part of the Cyrenaica, it will
be proper to look back upon the tract of country already before the
reader, and, in taking a general view of the gulf and shores of the
Greater Syrtis, to bring together some of the most prominent
remarks of ancient writers respecting it.
•254
JOURNEY FROM
CHAPTER X.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE GULF AND SHORES OF THE GREATER SYRTIS,
The Dimensions of the Gulf, according to Ancient Writers, considered, and compared with those
resulting from the Observations of the Expedition — Difference in the Statements of the
several Writers quoted — Reasons why a Difference may be expected in their Accounts
Observations of Major Rennell on the Measurements of the Ancients — Ptolemy’s Outline of
the Gulf more correct than any hitherto given — Number of Square Miles of Error in modern
Charts of the Greater Syrtis — The Ideas of Ancient Writers (Herodotus excepted) with
respect to the Nature and Resources of the Syrtis (the Territory, not the Gulf oi the Greater
Syrtis is here meant) more erroneous than the Dimensions which have been assigned to the
Gulf itself — The General Character of the Syrtis not that of a Sandy Plain — Incorrectness
of the Arab Accounts of what is termed by them the Desert of Barka — Account of Herodotus
considered — Apparent Accuracy of his Statements — Inferences drawn from them — Ancient
Accounts of the Gulf of the Greater Syrtis, dimensions excepted, very correct — Accumulation
of Soil on the Shores of the Gulf accounted for — Apparent Elevation of the General Level of
the Syrtis — Advance of the Sea on the Northern Coast of Africa — Appearance of the Coast
at Alexandria and Carthage consistent with that of the Shores of the Greater Syrtis and
Cyrenaica — Observations of Major Rennell and Dr. Shaw on the Elevation of the Coast of
Tunis, and the Advance of the Sea in that quarter — Observations of Lucan on the Level of
the Greater Syrtis — Dangers of the Navigation of the Gulf of Syrtis considered — Inset into
the Gulf still existing to a great extent — Flux and Reflux of the Sea mentioned by Strabo
and Mela considered — Remarks on the Derivation of the term Syrtis.
In considering the dimensions which have come down to us of the
Greater Syrtis, those allotted to it by Strabo (in the seventeenth
book) are so singularly inconsistent with each other, that there ap-
pears to be no possible mode of reconciling the measurements he has
given of its diameter, with those which he has in the same place
ascribed to its circumference, without material alterations in the text.
“ The circumference of the Greater Syrtis” (observes the geographer)
I
('upt'.' f. ir. flni/ifi/ B.x.
« -
%
9
• %
*
1
if
«
*'
%
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
255
“is about nine hundred and thirty stadia*; and its diameter,
at the bottom of the Gulf, is one thousand five hundred stadia :
the breadth of the entrance (or mouth) is about the same |
that is, about fifteen hundred stadia. Here we have a circum-
ference considerably less than its diameter, and no way of
getting rid of a difficulty so formidable to mathematicians, with-
out making such decided alterations in the text as no sober-
minded editor would hazard:]:. Various readings have been
given, by different commentators, of this passage ; but it will be
useless to compare their several merits; since both the measure-
ments in question will be found to be no less inconsistent with the
truth than they have been seen to be with each other. For the
* The stade of Strabo has been estimated by Major Reiinell, in his admirable treatise
on the itinerary stade of the Greeks, at 700 to a geographical degree ; and 930 stades
will, on this computation, be equal to 100|® Roman miles, or 80-^^^ geographic miles.
While the dimensions of the diameter, 1500 stades, will be equal to 162| Roman
miles, or geographic.
■f" H Ss /AEya^r, ^uqris tov /aev ituuXov ara^ico-u EvvctKoaiwv rqiaxovra itov' rm sm rc/v
fj,v^ov Sja/AET§ov HciflscKomajv' roaovrov ttov xai to tov irToptaror tiXoctos. — Lib. xvii.
p. 385.
f In the second book, however, the measurements given by Strabo are more consist-
ent ; for he tells us that the circumference of the Greater Syrtis is (according to Erato-
sthenes) five thousand stadia, or 428^„^u geographic miles'’; and its depth, from the
Hesperides to Automala, and the limits of the Cyrenaica, one thousand eight hundred,
or 154i-„®iy geographic miles. Others, he adds, make the circumference four thousand
stadia, ■342./’J’g^ geographic miles ; and the depth one thousand five hundred stadia, or
128-j'’gg geographic miles; the same, he says, as the breadth of the gulf at its moutli. —
Lib. xi. p. 123.
® 4’he jjeogTa{)liif:al and Homan miles differ (says Shaw, on the authority of D'Anville) as GO is to 75|,
that is, 60 geographical miles and 75J Roman miles are equal to one degree of a great circle. 'I'he Ron)an
mile is consequently one-fifth less than a geographic mile. — Vol. i. p. .30.
*> At the rate of 700 stades to a degree.
256
JOURNEY FROM
actual circumference of the gulf of the Greater Syrtis may be esti-
mated at four hundred and twenty-two geographic miles, and its
diameter at two hundred and forty-six * : so that it would be
necessary to alter both the circumference and diameter given by
Strabo before any use could be made of his dimensions ; and then
the measurements must be taken on the authority of the commen-
tators, since they would be no longer those of the geographer. In
short, the difficulty appears to be scarcely surmountable ; for though
it is evident that the passage is not as Strabo left it, we have no suffi-
cient data for deciding what it really was originally -j-. The measure-
ments given by Pliny are somewhat nearer the truth ; indeed his
diameter of the gulf may be considered as remarkably accurate ; for
it is stated at three hundred and thirteen Koman miles, equal to two
hundred and forty-eight and a quarter geographic miles, and there
is consequently no more than two miles and a quarter difference
between these dimensions and the actual diameter. His circumfer-
ence, however, is not by any means so accurate ; it is given at six
* This estimate of the ciixumference is deduced from the camel-track, corrected by
observations ; and the accuracy to which this mode of computation may be brought
by care and attention, and by making the proper allowances, will be seen in the exam-
ples which we shall hereafter submit of it.
t If, however, we take the measurements just quoted from the second book of Strabo,
as those which he intended to be received in the present case, we shall find that the
428^0*0 miles, resulting from the 5000 stadia of Eratosthenes, come very near the truth.
The other measurements, however, are far from correct. It will be observed that the
diameter given in this place is the same with that mentioned in the second book (1500
stadia).
I Inde Syrtis Major, circuitu DCXXV. aditu autem, CCCXIII, M. Passuum. — Nat.
Hist. lib. V. cap. 4.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
257
hundred and twenty-five Roman miles, which are equal to four hun-
dred and ninety-four geographic miles, and will therefore leave a
difference of seventy-two geographic miles between this measurement
of the circuit and the actual one. The difference also exists on the
wrong side ; that is to say, the whole distance of Pliny is not only
much more than the actual distance by observations, but much
more than the actual road-distance, which is the longest which can
be allow ed. The diameter of the gulf, already stated, of this author,
will be found to coincide remarkably well with the measurement
which may be deduced from the distance he has given us in another
place, between the cities of Leptis Magna and Berenice, of three
hundred and eighty-five Roman miles * : for the distance between
Lebida (Leptis Magna) and Mesurata, the western extremity of the
gulf, may be reckoned at fifty-eight geographic miles, equal to
seventy-three Roman miles ; so that this being deducted from the
whole distance given, of three hundred and eighty-five M.P. we shall
have a remainder of three hundred and twelve of the same for
the distance between Mesurata and Bengazi, leaving a difference of
only one mile between the diameter of the gulf thus deduced and
that above stated of three hundred and thirteen. But although we
may infer, from the coincidence of the two measurements, that the
three hundred and twelve miles in question may be taken as distance
across the gulf, they are by no means stated to be such in the text ;
and if they had chanced to coincide with the circumference instead
* Nec procul ante Oppidum (Berenice) fluvius Lethon, lucus sacer, ubi Hesperidum
horti memorantur. Abest a Lepti CCCLXXXV. M. P. — (Lib. v. cap. 5.)
•258
JOURNEY FROM
of the diameter of the gulf, they might just as well have been taken for
the road-distance between Mesurata and Bengazi; the measurements
which we find in the Itinerary of Antoninus, of the distance between
Leptis Magna and Berenice, come nearer to the actual road-distance
between these places, by one hundred and thirty Roman miles, than
that which is obtained by adding the seventy-three miles between
Lebida and Mesurata to the circumference of the gulf given by Pliny ;
for the whole distance of the Itinerary from Leptis to Berenice is not
estimated at more than five hundred and sixty-eight Roman miles,
while those above mentioned being added together would make no less
than six hundred and ninety-eight. So that the circumference of the
gulf which may be deduced from the Itinerary differs only from the
actual circuit by road-distance in thirty-seven Roman miles, or
twenty-nine and a half geographic.
But instead of being surprized at the differences which obtain be-
tween the measurements which have descended to us from the ancients,
we ought rather, perhaps, to wonder that they do not differ even more
than they are usually found to do from each other. It is true that
abundant materials were furnished to the early geographers, by the nu-
merous military and naval expeditions which enterprizing or ambitious
states had fitted out for the purposes of conquest or discovery* ; but
* Sesostris is said to have recorded his march in maps, and to have given copies of
them not only to the Egyptians, but to the remote and uninformed inhabitants of Scy-
thia, who viewed them with the greatest astonishment. The expeditions of Alexander
furnished the materials for an interesting survey, a copy of which was given to Patroclus
the geographer; it was from the work of Patroclus that Eratosthenes derived his prin-
cipal materials in constructing the Oriental part of his map of the world, and it is
frequently quoted both by Strabo and Pliny.
Many
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
259
the maps and charts which resulted from them were laid down
without the aid of astronomy ; and the distances between the places
described in them were either measured or computed along the roads
which the armies traversed, or deduced from the track of vessels along
the coast. Major Eennell has observed, that the difference which
will generally be found between the measurements of Eratosthenes
and Strabo, and those which appear in modern geography, will be
that which exists between the measure of a direct line, drawn
from one place to another, and that of the road distance between
them. Nothing can speak more strongly to this point,” (says
the well-informed and intelligent writer here quoted,) “ than the
circumstance of Strabo’s giving the number of stades in Nearchus's
Many tolerably accurate surveys resulted from the conquests of the Romans ; and
we learn from Vegetius that their generals were always fuimished with the maps
of the provinces which were to be the scenes of their operations. Julius Caesar
ordered a general survey to be made of the whole empire, which occupied twenty-five
years ; and the Itinerary of Antonine, as well as that which was constructed in the
reign of Theodosius the Great, commonly called the Peutingerian table, are well known
as valuable authorities.
“ The expedition of Alexander” (says Major Rennell, in the preliminary remarks
attached to his Illustrations of Herodotus,) “ besides the eclat of the military history
belonging to it, furnished in Greece and Egypt an epoch of geographical improvement
and correction, which may not unaptly be compared with that of the discoveries of the
Portuguese along the coasts of Africa and India ; or of that of the present time, in
which geography has been improved in every quarter of the globe.”
“ To a philosopher,” (observes the same author,) “ the changes in the comparative
state of nations, in diSerent ages of the world, are very striking, and lead one to reflect
what may be the future state of some now obscure corner of New Holland or of North
America ; since our own island was known only for its tin-mines by the most celebrated
of ancient nations, whose descendants, in turn, rank no higher with us than as dealers
in figs and currants I”
2 L 2
260
JOURNEY FROM
coasting navigation for the lengths of the coasts of Persia and
Caramania*.”
In fact it was not till the time of Ptolemy that geography began
to be placed upon that solid basis on which it now stands so conspi-
cuously ; and it certainly appears somewhat singular, that the writers
on this subject who flourished between the time of Hipparchus and
that of the Alexandrian geographer (among whom were Strabo and
Pliny,) should not have availed themselves of the discoveries of the
former to check the measurements which appear in their works f.
Various errors have been pointed out in the geography of Ptolemy ;
but as it can scarcely be supposed that he had sufficient observations
to regulate the position of all the places which he has laid down, we
ought not to be surprized at this circumstance. His outline of the
Gulf of Syrtis, though it cannot be called correct, is notwithstanding
more so than those which have since been given of it ; and the pro-
longation of the gulf at its southern extremity, so erroneously marked
«
* “ Variations ever did and ever will exist (continues the Major) on computed dis-
tances ; instances of whicli existed on our own public roads previous to their improve-
ment, and which do yet exist on many of the ci’oss-roads.” “ It is probable,” he adds,
“.that Hei’odotus, Xenophon, Nearchus, Strabo, &c., all intended the same stade, but
may have given occasion to different results, by reporting the numbers on the judgment
of different persons.”
t Hipparchus of Nicsea (“ who can never,” says Pliny, “ be sufficiently com-
mended,”) appeal's to have been the first who united geography with astronomy, by
determining the position of some of the places which he described, according to their
latitude and longitude^. He died about one hundred and twenty-five years before
Christ, and his important discoveries remained neglected, or at least unapplied, for
nearly three hundred years, till they were adopted by Ptolemy in his Geographical
Treatise.
® See Ptolemy, Geos:, lib. i. c. 4, and Pliny, Nat. Hist., lib. ii. c. 12 — 26.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
261
in modern charts, as well as the inlet called the Gulf of Zuca, which
we have stated does not exist, are neither of them laid down in it at
all. It may therefore be said, that the true character of the gulf is
much better preserved in the loose outline of Ptolemy than in any
other of which we are aware. Whatever may be the reasons which
have induced modern geographers to introduce into the Gulf of
Syrtis the errors which we have alluded to, it is certain that the
best chart which they have hitherto produced of it must undergo a
correction of ninety miles in longitude, and upwards of thirty miles
in latitude, that is to say, it must part with nearly six thousand
square miles of ground, before it will be consistent with the truth.
Should we pass from the measurements to the general character
of the Syrtis, we shall find that if the ancient authorities have erred
in their dimensions of it, they have been no less deceived with regard
to its nature and resources. The whole country from Bengazi to
Mesurata appears to have been generally considered by the writers oi
antiquity as a dreary tract of sand, without water or vegetation, and
swarming with venomous serpents. But we have already shewn that
there are spots in this tract where vegetation is very luxuriant, and
where water may be readily procured ; and although the extent of
marshy ground is in many places considerable, yet the proportions
between the barren and the productive parts of the Syrtis are not so
little in favour of the latter as appears to have been generally
imagined. The whole tract is so thinly inhabited, that a very trifling
portion of it only is cultivated ; but this circumstance is owing more
to the character of the Bedouins who frequent it, and to the govern-
-262
JOURNEY FROM
ment to which they are subjected, than to the incapacity of the
soil itself.
Idle Bedouin, though active, is far from industrious ; and if he can
gain a livelihood from the flocks which he possesses, he will seldom
trouble himself to cultivate even the most productive soil ; indeed, if
he were to do so, he has in general no security that any part of the
produce or the profits of it would he his own. His tent and flocks
may be removed at a few minutes notice, hut his ciop ot com or vege-
tables could not be so disposed of ; and they who came as his friends,
for the purpose of collecting tribute, or as enemies, for the puipose
of spoliation, would take care to be with him before his crops were
cut, and make sure of the object of their visit. We remember asking
an Arab, in the district of Syrt, why his tribe would not trouble
themselves to dig a few more wells in a place which they frequented,
where there was plenty of water, at no great depth from the surface
of the soil: his answer was that, if they were to do so, the Bashaw’s
troops who collected the tribute would more easily overtake them,
when they chose to run away, than if the supply of water were
more scanty : for without a good supply of water the troops could
not advance more than a short distance into the interior, and would
consequently be less likely to overtake them in their flight. 1 his
reason was sufficient in his opinion to account for the circumstance;
but it is probable that, if there were no grounds for apprehension on
this head, neither our friend himself, nor any Arab of his tribe,
would have had resolution enough to sink a single well, however
much they might chance to be in want of it ; and that they would
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
2QS
have preferred removing their whole establishment to another place,
which might be better provided with water, to the trouble of
digging for it where they were.
It is not only in the works of early writers that we find the nature
of the Syrtis misunderstood ; for the whole of the space between
Mesurata and Alexandria is described by Leo Africanus (under the
title of Barca), as “ a wild and desert country, where there is neither
water nor land capable of cultivation He allows, however, that the
country was inhabited, after the occupation of Africa by the Arabs,
though not before that period ; and tells us, that the most powerful
among the Mahometan invaders possessed themselves of the fertile
parts of the coast, leaving the others only the desert for their abode,
exposed to all the miseries and privations attendant on it : for this
desert, he continues, is far removed from any habitation, and nothing
is produced there whatever. So that if these poor people would have
a supply of grain, or of any other articles necessary to their existence,
they are obliged to pledge their children to the Sicilians who visit the
coast ; who on providing them with these things, which they bring
with them from Sicily, carry off the children they have received. Here
we have the whole of the Syrtis and Cyrenaica described as a desert
tract of country ; and although the same author states, that “ Sert
was an ancient city, built, as some think, by the Egyptians, and, as
others believe, by the Komans,” he informs us that the country in
* Una campagna diserta et aspera, dove non si trova ne acqua ne ten-eno da
coltivare. — (Leo Afr. in Ram. 5“ parte, p. 72.)
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JOURNEY FROM
which it was situated was uninhabited, from Mesurata to Alexan-
dria, before the arrival of the Mahometans in Africa*.
It must, however, be confessed, that the half-starved Musselmen
with whom he has peopled it were scarcely more deserving of our
commisseration than the “ vastae Nasamon populator Syrtis,” or any
other of the very respectable personages of antiquity who are said to
have inhabited this coast. The Sicilians were most probably aware of
the character of their customers before they exacted from them the
hostages above described ; for Leo goes on to say, that these Arabs
* Prhna che gli Ai'abi venissero in Africa fu il detto diserto dishabitato : ma poi
che, &c.
There can be no doubt that the desert of Barca, here described, is the whole tract of
country boi’dering on the Mediterranean, from Mesui’ata to Alexandria ; for, after
having described Mesurata as situated on the coast, the author proceeds to observe —
“ This desert (that of Barca) begins from the coniines of the district of Mesurata, and
extends itself eastward as far as the confines of Alexandria, a space of about one thousand
three hundred miles in length, and about two hundred in breadth.” The dimensions of
Barca here given appear to be as singular as the description already noticed of it
which follows ; for besides that the length is much too great, the two hundred miles
of bi-eadth which is allotted to it would carry us far to the southward of Augila,
into the desert of Libya, which does not seem, from other passages, to have been intended
by Leo. We were ourselves, at one time, in passing along the eastern side of the Gulf
of Syrtis, only four days’ journey from Augila ; and it then bore to the eastward of
the south ; so that it could not be anything like two hundred miles from the coast, even
reckoning from the most northern part of the Cyrenaica.
The place mentioned by Strabo in the following passage, as being four days easy
journey from the bottom of the Syrtis, could scarcely be any other than Augila.
TETa^Taiot/f ptEV oi/v (pas-tv asro rov f/.vy(pv r-ns piEyaXsir rovs xar cturo lA-aXocxuis
^ovTaj- MS E9TI %Ei/x£^ivay avaVoXar apixvEisSat. Esti Se o tottos ovros s/J.(psq'ris tm A^/aovi,
(potvtxoTgo(pos- TE xai suvS^os. — Lib. xvii. p. 838.
Procopius also (de .^dificiis, lib. v.) makes Augila four days’ journey from Borium,
(the Borium Oppidum, at the bottom of the Gulf.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
265
were the greatest thieves and the most treacherous people to be
found in the whole world. They ranged the country round, as far
as Nuniidia, attacking and plundering the poor pilgrims who were
unfortunate enough to meet them ; and not contented with taking
from them everything that was to be found upon their persons,
they made them swallow a quantity of hot milk, and then shook
them about till it acted as an emetic, so violently as to leave nothing
whatever on the stomach.
This was done lest the poor unhappy patients, to whom
the medicine was administered, should have taken the precau-
tion of swallowing their money to prevent its being taken from
them by their assailants. “ Perciocche dubitano queste bestie
(says our indignant author) die i vkandanti, come s’appressano
a quel diserto, inghiottino i* danari perch^ non gli siano trovati
adosso.”
It appears to be chiefly from Leo Africanus that modern historians
have derived the very unfavourable idea of what they term the
district and desert of Barca. Yet the whole of the Cyrenaica is
comprehended within the limits which they assign to it ; and the
authority of Herodotus (without citing any other) would be amply
sufficient to prove that this tract of country, not only was no desert,
but was at all times remarkable for its fertility.
W e And on the same authority, that the Libyans (or Africans) who
inhabited, at an early period, the southern shores of the Mediter-
ranean, w^ere divided into pastoral and agricultural tribes ; and that
the former, most of whom were inhabitants of Barca, were by no
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JOURNEY FROM
means in the miserable condition in which they have been by
some represented.
They are described by Herodotus as living on flesh and milk ; and
the prejudice which they entertained for what Englishmen would
term cow-beef, could scarcely have existed among a people who were
scantily provided with the necessaries of life*.
With regard to the present inhabitants of the district of Barca
(we mean the part of it comprehended in the Syrtis and Cyrenaica),
we should certainly call them a healthy and good-looking race ; and
not at all the ugly, meagre, grim-visaged people, which they have
been described to be in some of our best received accounts of them.
W e allude in particular to the Bedouin (or wandering) tribes,
which are those more immediately in question; and who are gene-
rally a finer people, both in character and appearance, than what
are termed the more civilized inhabitants of Arab cities. Whatever
may be the descent of the present inhabitants of this part of
Africa, they appear to lead exactly the same kind of hfe, and to
have as nearly as possible the same resources, as the early pos-
sessors of the regions which they occupy.
The penetration of Herodotus has not failed to discover among
the African tribes which he enumerates, that they were a very
healthy race of people ; and the practice of cautery, still adopted
by their Mahometan successors, and to which he is uncertain
* Ovro /0.6V rns T|i7wviSor aif' KvyvTcrw iiai x^soipixyot ts kqu yaXaxro-
norai AiQvss' xai StiXecciv te /Soivv ovroi yevo/ji-ivoi, &c. — Melp. g'ffs’'.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
267
Avhether or not to attribute the healthy appearance of the Libyans,
is mentioned by this author as one of their peculiarities*.
No allusion is made by Herodotus to the parched and barren
sandy soil which later writers have bestowed upon the country
in question, described by Leo Africanus as a region “ dove non
si trova ne acqua ne terreno da cultivare and we may safely
affirm that the impression left upon our minds of this part of
the coast and its inhabitants (after reading the account of Hero-
dotus) would be much more consistent with the appearance and
peculiarities of both, in their actual state, than that which would
result from the descriptions of any succeeding writer.
The parts which are nearest the sea he describes as inhabited by
Nomadic, or pastoral tribes ; and the inference is, that where there
are flocks and shepherds, there is also pasturage and water. The
country inland of these, and immediately adjoining them, he states to
be abounding with wild beasts ; and for these animals, also, more
shelter and moisture is necessary than could be afforded them in the
burning sands of a desert : we may therefore conclude that the parts
* Melp. — Sallust has observed of this coast and its inhabitants : —
“ Mare saevum, importuosum. Ager frugum fertilis, bonus pecori, arbori infecun-
dus: ccelo, terraque penuria aquarum : genus hominum salubri corpore, velox, patiens
laborum : plerosque senectns dissolvit, nisi qui ferro, aut a bestiis interiere. Nam mor-
bus baud saepe quenquam superat, ad hoc malefici generis plurima animalia.” — (Bell.
Jugurth. § 17.)
This account agrees very well with that of Herodotus; but the description which
Sallust afterwards gives of the country where the Philaenean altars were placed, conveys
too much the idea of a flat sandy plain.
2 M 2
•268
JOURNEY FROM
where they are found would most probably contain caves, or woods,
which might serve them as habitations and places of retreat and
security. This tract we should consequently imagine to be wild and
stony, unadapted to cultivation, and affording little or no pasturage,
but certainly not wholly of sand, or altogether unprovided with
water. The third region, mentioned by Herodotus as succeeding
to the two before enumerated, and placed farther inland than either,
is the sandy tract of country usually, though not necessarily, implied
by the term desert, in which there is neither water, nor vege-
tation of any kind ; nothing, in fact, by which life could be sus-
tained *. This tract he merely states to be a long ridge of sand,
extending itself from Egypt to the pillars of Hercules f. It is but
justice to state, in confirmation of the account here submitted to us
by the father of history, whose veracity has been so much called in
question, that (so far as our own experience, and that of the Arabs
whom we have questioned on the subject, has enabled us to judge)
it is perfectly consistent with the truth. What was beyond the
sandy desert was little known to Herodotus, and must not therefore
be adverted to in considering this description.
With regard to the water afforded by the Syrtis, we find the
Psylli inhabiting a tract of country inland of that possessed by the
* That is, on the surface ; for in most sandy deserts water may be found by digging.
J OuTot /Asv hi TTagasQaXstiTffioi tuv No/xatSiwv XiQvoJv si^saraa. Se rovraiv, es ;/,E7oyaiav, vi
EfTTi \i€vrt' V'Tts^ Se rns SngioiSsos- o(p^vn 4'O.fjitx'ns Kxrrtx.si, Traparemuax ano 9r)Cic</v
TMv htyvnmm ew liqaxXviocT arriXas, (Melp. gTTcs.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
269
Nasamones, who occupied the south-eastern coast of the Gulf * ; these
people must therefore have been provided with water, though they
were nearer to the sandy desert than the Nasamones ; and if we are
told that, in consequence of their supplies being dried up, they were
compelled to emigrate, and perished in their journey to the south-
ward, we must at the same time conclude that, previous to this acci-
dent, they had water enough to support them at home, though it
might not have been very plentiful. On the whole, we may observe,
without entering further into this subject, that the district of Barca,
including all the country between Mesurata and Alexandria, neither
is, nor ever was, so destitute and barren as it has been represented ;
that the part of it which constitutes the Cyrenaica is capable of the
highest degree of cultivation, and that many parts of the Syrtis afford
excellent pasturage, while some of it is not only adapted to cultiva-
tion, but does actually produce good crops of barley and dhurra. We
may remark, at the same time, that the proportion of sand which is
actually to be found in the Syrtis will by no means authorize us to call
it a sandy region, and that the proportion of water which it actually
possesses will not justify us in asserting that it is unprovided with
that necessary. We may observe, too, that the number of serpents
and venomous reptiles, so freely bestowed upon the Syrtis by Roman
* Strabo seems to place the Nasamones farther inland, whither they were probably
driven by the Cyreneans subsequent to the account of Herodotus.
Ttiv Ss ev /SaSsi ^copccv rns ^vprEus xixi rns Yi-vp-nvaia.^ xa.ri’/pvat,') oi AiSvss
■T[ocqa\u7tqov xat Tlqwrov /xsv oi Naffa/xa/VEy, etteitcc xJ/eXXoj xsu Ttvsr /aiTsXoi, iimra.
rstga/xavTSf’ (Lib. 17. p. 838.)
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writers, and by others who flourished after the occupation of
ISTorthei-n Africa by Roman colonies, appears to be greatly exagge-
rated : that it possesses, in fact, no terrors peculiar to itself, at least,
not that we are acquainted with ; and no difficulties which may not
be readily surmounted by those who are acquainted with the nature
of the country, and will adopt the precautions which are necessary*.
From the regions of the Greater Syrtis let us pass to the Gulf
itself; and of this we may remark, that the accounts which have
come down to us of its peculiarities do certainly appear to be much
better founded than those which we possess of the country along its
* The want of accurate information which has hitherto obtained, respecting the
Gulf and the Shores of the Greater Syrtis, has not only occasioned their being incor-
I'ectly laid down in modern maps, but has necessarily subjected the observations of
modern writers upon them to errors which would not otherwise have been made.
In alluding to the breadth across the mouth of the Greater Syrtis, Major Rennell has
remarked as follows : —
“ Scylax reckons it a passage of three days and nights across its mouth; which,
however, measures no more than one hundred and eighty geographic miles on the best
modern maps. This allows about sixty miles for each day and night collectively.”
But the actual distance across the Gulf, from Mesurata to Bengazi, is two hundred
and forty-six geographic miles, instead of one hundred and eighty, and this would give
a rate of eighty-six miles per day (considered as twenty-four hours).
Again — the same author observes — “ Strabo says that Cato had ten thousand men,
which he divided into separate bodies, that they might more conveniently obtain sup-
plies of water in that arid region. That they marched on foot, and completed the tour
of the Sj^tis from Berenice in thirty days. Those who examine the distance will find
that the rate of marching was eleven and a half geographic miles in direct distance, or
about one mile above the mean of ordinai’y marches, which is 10.6.”
But as the circumference of the Greater Syrtis is ascertained (as above stated) to be
four hundred and twenty-two geographic miles, it will follow that the rate of marching
must here have been, in actual distance, about fourteen geographic miles for each day.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
271
shores. Herodotus, although he has minutely described the people
who inhabited the coasts of the Syrtes, has left no account of the
Gulfs ; but w e learn from Strabo, that the dangers which pre-
sented themselves to navigators, in the Gulfs both of the Greater
and Lesser Syrtis, were occasioned by the frequent occurrence of banks
and shallows, formed by the flux and reflux of the sea, on which vessels
were continually striking, and it rarely happened that any of them
were got off*. “ For this reason,” he adds, “ it was usual to keep
away from the coast, in order to avoid being embayed
What we must here understand by the flux and reflux of the sea,
is not (we should imagine) the usual action of the tides, which is
very trifling in the Mediterranean, compared with that which is
observable in other seas ; but the inset occasioned by violent winds
blowing for any long continuance on shore, and the subsequent reac-
tion of the sea in regaining its original level.
As northerly winds are very prevalent, and very strong on this
coast, which fronts the widest part of the Mediterranean, they
might no doubt occasion the accumulation of soil alluded to in this
passage of Strabo ; and we certainly find that a great part of the
coast is so exceedingly shallow as to make the landing very hazard-
ous and difficult. It is probable, also, that this accumulation of
* 'H Ss xai rctvrris rns Jtai rris on 'TtoWctKov T£va7wS»iy es^'v
T )tstra tas ai/.’jturns xau ra,s TrXn/A/xygiJas'j avu^Qouvsi Tistv e^wj'S'teiv Eiy xai
xocSt^siv' cTTaviov S'eivou to su^o^evqv axa(pof, Aiotte^ 7ro^§a)dsv tov Traga'zrXoyv Ttoiovvrca, (pv'ka.r-
ToptEVOi f/.'n efjo’KsmiEv sir rovs xoXttovs vii aveijouv a(pv'kaxrot XriipdEvres. (Lib. 17. § 20.)
The word axtz(pos here used, though it means literally boat, appeal’s to be applied in
this passage to vessels in general.
272
JOURNEY FROM
soil has raised the level of the low lands in the Greater and Lesser
Syrtes much above what it formerly was, and that both these regions
were once covered with water to a greater depth than at present.
We have already observed that the sea appears to have made great
advances on the whole line of coast of Northern Africa ; and this
fact seems to be proved from the circumstance of our finding the
remains of ancient towns, along its shores, at present under water to
a considerable extent. We may now pass in boats over the ruins of
the northern part of Alexandria, (as many travellers of our time can
testify) ; and remains of the city of Carthage, “ for the space of
three furlongs in length, and half a furlong, or more, in breadth,”
are well known (on the authority of Shaw*) to be at the present day
“ entirely under water.” In the intermediate space, we may instance
the maritime towns of the Cyrenaica, where the sea has made consi-
derable advances ; those parts of the Greater Syrtis which are not
exposed to the accumulation of sand, and the town of modern Tri-
poly, the northern part of which (as we have already stated in the
words of Leo Africanus) appears to have been in his time under
water.
This rise in the level of the Mediterranean could scarcely fail to
have occasioned an overflow in the low grounds of the Syrtie, to a
much greater extent than formerly, if it had not been accompanied
by, at least, a proportionate accumulation of soil : but it will rather
appear that in these regions the land may be said to have advanced
upon the sea ; since we find their ancient ports now filled up with
* Travels in Barbary, vol. i. p. 164.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
273
sand, their lakes to have taken the character of marshes, and their
quicksands (if ever they had any) to have become solid and firm
To these remarks we may add the observations of Major Eennell,
on the actual and former state of the Lake Tritonis and the Lesser
Syrtis, which we will give in the author’s own words.
“ From the authorities which we shall presently adduce, we can
suppose no other than that this Syrtis” (the Gulf of the Lesser
Syrtis) “ did once enter much deeper into the land ; and that it
even formed a junction with the Lake Lowdeah within it — the
Tritonis Palus of the ancients. Otherwise we must not only reject
the reports of Herodotus and Ptolemy, but that of Scylax also, the
writer of a periplus, and who ought to have known the truth.” Again,
after a learned and ingenious discussion — “ In effect the ancients,
as Dr. Shaw justly observes (p. 213), seem to have described this
quarter from report, or uncertain information only j- ; and therefore
we can hardly expect consistent, much more critical, descriptions.
They appear, however, to have furnished us with very good grounds
for believing that the Syrtis and Lake Tritonis communicated in
former times ; and that the communication continued even to the
* Major Rennell has noticed a parallel instance in our own country. “ There can be
no doubt” (he observes) “ of the increase of the Goodwin (sand) at the present moment,
and of its slow progression towards the state of firm land. Let those who doubt the facts
here set forth attend to the changes at Ephesus, at Myriandrus, in the Gulf of Issus,
and various other places.”
t In a note the author adds, “ possibly with a£n exception to Scylax as a professed
guide to others. The observations of Polybius would probably, had they come down
to us, have saved us much conjecture.”
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JOURNEY FROM
time of Ptolemy. We think it equally probable that the river
Triton flowed into the lake, and that the island called by some
Triton, by Herodotus, Phla, together with the temple of Minerva,
(in which the Triton is said to have deposited Jason’s tripod) was
situated near the mouth of it : moreover, that the island in ques-
tion is now a part of the sandy plain in which the rivulet of Ham-
mah, the supposed river of Triton, loses itself. For it appears to
us that the difference between the present state of things, at this
place, and the ancient description of the lake and Syrtis, may be
reconciled, by merely adverting to the changes that have taken
place on other sandy shores ; and more particularly at the head of a
gulf where the tide exerts its greatest power of casting up the sand
to a higher point. That which has happened at the head of the Fed
Sea may be adduced in point ; and, as the shore of the Syrtis is
much flatter than the other, the operation has probably gone on
with greater rapidity.”
Lucan (as Major Fennell has justly observed) “ appears to believe
that the bottom of the Syrtis” (that is, the Greater Syrtis) “ was
growing firmer, and the water shallower ; and surmises that it may
hereafter become dry and solid.” “ \That changes (he continues),
“ in point of form and extent, they may have undergone, or if any,
we know not : but it is certain they have hitherto preserved their
original properties.”
We insert below the lines of Lucan alluded to, from Fowes
translation*.
* When Nature’s hand the first formation tried,
When seas from land she did at first divide,
1 he
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
275
It will be seen that the principal danger of the Syrtes, according
to the passage above quoted from Strabo, consisted in the difficulty
The Syrts, nor quite of sea nor land bereft,
A mingled mass uncertain still she left ;
For nor the land with seas is quite o’erspread,
Nor sink the waters deep their oozy bed,
Nor earth defends its shore, nor lifts aloft its head.
The site with neither and with each complies —
Doubtful and inaccessible it lies ;
Or ’tis a sea wdth shallows bank’d around,
Or ’tis a broken land with waters drown’d ;
Here shores advanced o’er Neptune’s rule we find,
And there an inland ocean lags behind.
*
Perhaps, w'hen fii-st the world and time began.
Here swelling tides and plenteous waters ran ;
But long confining on the burning zone.
The sinking seas have felt the neighb’ring sun :
Still by degrees we see how they decay.
And scarce resist the thirsty god of day.
Perhaps in distant ages ’twill be found.
When future suns have run the burning round.
These Syrts shall all be dry and solid ground:
Small are the depths their scanty waves retain.
And earth grows daily on the yielding main. — (Pharsalia, Book 9.)
It here seems evident, that the Gulfs of Syrtis in Lucan’s time were believed to be
growing shallower, and the land advancing upon the sea. This is certainly consistent
with the present appearance of the Greater Syrtis (as contrasted with the accounts of
the ancients respecting it,) and, from all that we have been able to learn, of the Lesser
Syrtis also. It must, however, be recollected, that this accumulation of soil is only
observable in the low grounds, where the sand is constantly heaped up by the sea ; for
in other parts (as we have already stated) the sea has gained upon the land. The
advance of the sea, which may be considered to be equally certain with that of the land,
will serve to prove how rapidly the soil must have been accumulating in the lower parts
of the Syrtis ; since there is reason to believe that (notwithstanding the rise of the
Mediterranean on these shores) they wei'e formerly covered with a greater' body of water
tlian at present.
2 N 2
276
JOURNEY FROM
of what is termed by seamen working off a lee-shore, for which the
vessels of the ancients were very ill adapted ; and we can readily
believe, from what we have seen of the coast, that (under the influ-
ence of the heavy surf which rolls over the shallows when the wind
blows strongly on shore) few vessels which chanced to strike could
escape. The inset into the gulf, at the same time, being great,
(when the north and east winds blow strongly against the coast,) it
must have been extremely difficult for vessels of this description to
avoid being drawn into its vortex ; and indeed we may observe that
few ships will, at the present day, sail from Bengazi, westward, when
the wind is blowing strongly into the gulf, on account of this conse-
quent indraught *.
“ The improved state of navigation” (Major Eennell very justly
observes) “ has, however, stripped the Syrtes of the greatest part
of their terrors and it is probable that the report of them which
we shall have from Captain Smyth will in consequence prove to be
much less formidable than the accounts which have descended to us
from the ancients.
It appears, from Mela, that the Syrtes were not only considered
to be dangerous on account of the frequent occurrence of shoals,
but more so in consequence of the flux and reflux of the sea which
we have already mentioned above f. This rise and fall (as we have
* We allude here to the vessels of the country, which we were told at Bengazi usually
gave the Gulf a wide birth ; thus realising, in modern days, what Strabo mentions of the
vessels of the ancients.
f importuosus atq. atrox, et ob vadorum frequentium brevia, magisq. etiam ob
alternos motus pelagi affluentis ac refluentis infestus. (De Situ Orbis. Lib. 1. c. 7.)
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
277
stated) can scarcely have been the customary motion of the tides ;
but it may reasonably be supposed that the reaction of such a body
of water as must (under the influence of violent and continued
winds) have been driven over the low lands of the Greater Syrtis,
was occasionally very considerable. This may have been the reflux
(we imagine) alluded to ; while the inset into the Gulf, caused by
strong winds blowing into it, may have been the rise which is men-
tioned as the flux.
Of the indraught in question there can be no doubt ; indeed, we
may remark that a rise of this nature is more or less observable in
gulfs in general ; and when we consider that an unbroken sweep of
level ground, very slightly raised above the surface of the sea, will
be found extending itself on the western coast of the Greater Syrtis
for the space of a hundred miles in length, and occasionally as
much as fifteen in breadth, we may easily allow that the reflux of the
water, driven over a tract of such dimensions, may well be considered
as formidable.
It appears to be from the effect of the flux and reflux alluded to,
*
that the names by which the Gulfs of Syrtis are distinguished have
been derived; that is, if we may suppose them to be of Greek origin,
as Sallust and others have asserted
This is said of the Lesser Syrtis, but the Greater Syrtis is stated, immediately afterwards,
to be nomine atque ingenio par priori. Pliny also mentions both these peculiarities
very briefly but decidedly ; he speaks of both Gulfs as being vacloso ac reciproco mari
diros. (Lib. v. c. 4.)
* From (TypEiv, to draw, or drag along. Sallust’s words are “ Syrtes ab tractu nomi-
natse.” Shaw has quoted Solinus, c. 6, and Dionysius Periegetes, 1. 198, as suggest-
278
JOURNEY FROM
Cellarius has, however, been censured by Signor Della Celia
for having ventured to adopt this derivation, and for “ not know-
ing that Sert meant desert in Arabic, and that this name is still
preserved in the bottom of the (Greater) Syrtis But were we
even to agree with Dr. Della Celia, that the district called Syrt is a
desert, (which our friend Shekh Mahommed, who lives there, with
many others, very comfortably, would be very unwilling, and very
ungrateful to allow,) there does not appear to be any reason why
the regions in question should be particularly distinguished as
deserts, when the country which bounds them to the southward, and
which is much more entitled to the appellation of desert than they
are, was never called Syrtis either by ancients or moderns. The
term existed, it is evident, in the age of Scylax and Herodotus, both of
whom w^e find to have used it ; but, in enumerating the several tribes
which inhabited the shores of these gulfs, it by no means appears (as
we have stated above) that the latter of these writers meant to cha-
racterise their country as a desert, or that he was aware of any such
meaning implied by the term in question, Syrtis. If, therefore, we
suppose the word to be of oriental origin, we should rather look
beyond the language of the Arabs for its root ; and as the Phoeni-
cians were well acquainted with these shores at a very early period
of history, we might suppose, with some appearance of probability.
ing the same derivation. As if (he adds) “ a avqa/, traho, quod in accessu et recessu
arenam et ccenum ad se trahit et congerit.” (Vid. Eustath. Comm.) Travels in Bar-
bary, vol. 1. p. 211.
* Viaggio da Tripoli, &c. p. 62.
TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
•279
that the term has originated with them. As the pecuharities of the
Gulfs of Syrtis appear to be more striking than those of the territory
within them, it is also probable that the country would have been
named from them, and not the gulfs from the country ; particularly
as the Phoenicians were a naval nation, and may be supposed (at the
early period to which we allude) to have been better acquainted with
the Gulfs than with the country here in question.
The Phoenician (or Hebrew) words from which the term Syrtis
might originate, are probably the roots of the Arab phrase Sahara
(1^*5), to which Signor Della Celia appears to allude; but instead
of applying them to the country of the Syrtis, as expressive of its
barren and desolate appearance, we should rather apply them to the
Gulfs themselves, as expressive of the violent storms of wind which
are known to prevail in them, and of the agitation and confusion
resulting from their influence.
The terms to which we allude are the Hebrew words Saar
or Saarat (jrii?p), signifying whirlwind, or tempest; and the root
Saar from which they spring, expressive of agitation and dis-
turbance ; Soarah (myo)? tempest-tossed, is also another derivative
of Saar.
We have very slender pretensions to any skill in Hebrew, and
merely offer the above suggestions for the consideration of those
who may be inclined to reject the Greek origin of the term Syrtis ;
which, for our own part, we are very well contented to allow, on the
authority of the writers already quoted, and on inspection of one
of the places in question. It may be possible, however, that some
280
JOURNEY FROM TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI.
Phoenician term, like those we have instanced, may liave descended
from that people to the Greeks, and afterwards through the latter
to the Romans, who may have looked for the origin of it in some
word ot the Greek language which appeared to them expressive of
the qualities of the Gulfs, without considering that the Greeks might
themselves have received it from others.
%: ■
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t' -
fr
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■ i#fei
BENGAZI.
281
CHAPTER XI.
The Rainy Season sets in at Bengazi towards tlie middle of January, and continues with little
interruption till the beginning of March — Miserable Condition of the Town during that period
— Construction of the Houses — Improvidence of the Arabs — Dirty state of the Streets —
Swarms of insects which infest them — Position of Bengazi — Description of its Harbour —
Castle of the Bey — Visit to Bey Halil — Friendly Reception of our Party by his Excellency —
Occupations and arrangements during the Rainy Season — The Shekh el Belad Mahommed —
Jews of Bengazi — Trade of the Town— Produce of the Environs — Wretched state of the
Bullock Vessels — Mahometan Inhabitants of Bengazi — Alarm of the Lower Classes during
our residence there — Confusion resulting from it — Mob collected at our door'on this occasion
— Narrow Escape of Mr. Giacomo Rossoni — Friendly Conduct of our Mahometan Acquaintance
— Parley with the Arabs — Dispersion of the Mob — Prejudices of the Arabs respecting the
Treatment of Diseases — Fatal Effects of this species of Folly at Bengazi — Prevalent Diseases
in Bengazi and its vicinity — Singular cause of Alarm among a Party of Arab Shekhs —
Arab notions of decorum and propriety contrasted with those of European Nations — Bengazi
supposed to occupy the Site of Berenice and Hesperis — Existing Remains there— Little
regard manifested by Turks and Arabs for the relics of Antiquity — Probable Limits of
Berenice — Quarries, and singular Chasms in its Neighbourhood — Gardens of Hesperides —
Position of the Gardens according to Scylax, Pliny, and Ptolemy — Conjectures of Gosselin
and others respecting them — Circumstances which appear to favour our position of the
Gardens — Lakes and Subterranean Caverns in the Neighbourhood of Bengazi, (or Berenice)
— Concealed Body of Water observed in one of the latter — Examination of the Caverns —
Remarks of the Bey respecting it — The Subterranean Stream in question considered as the
River Lathon,or Lethe — Testimonies of the Ancients on this point — Supposed Communica-
tion of the Subterranean Stream with the Lake adjoining the Harbour of Bengazi — Signifi-
cation of the term Laihmi alluded to — Further Remarks in confirmation of our suggested
Position of the River, and of its probable Communication with the Lake above mentioned —
Remarks of Strabo and Cellarius on the subject — ^Temple of Venus, and Lake Tritonis of
Strabo — Remarks on the name Berenice — Total ignorance of the Arabs of Bengazi with
respect to the former celebrity of their City — Pleasing little Fable of Kazwini, on the
changes which take place in the Nature and Appearance of Places, and the little knowledge
which remains, after a lapse of time, of their former Condition, even on the spots where they
existed.
On the 12th of January our whole party arrived at Rengazi, having
employed on the journey two months and seven days from the time of
2 o
282
BENGAZI.
our departure from Tripoly. Shortly after our arrival, the heavy
rains commenced, and continued with little interruption, until the
beginning of March, accompanied with constant gales of wind from
the north-east and north-west. The state of the town during this
period may truly be said to have been miserable ; the houses being
chiefly put together with mud, were continually giving w^ay, and
falling in ; and we were frequently apprized of occurrences of this
nature, in our own immediate neighbourhood, by the shrieks and
cries of women, whose families had been sufferers on some of these
occasions.
The streets during part of the time were literally converted into
rivers ; the market was without supplies, owing to the impossibihty
of driving cattle into the town ; and the number of sheep and goats
which perished in the neighbourhood of Bengazi, from the extreme
inclemency of the weather, amounted (we were informed) to several
thousands. F or ourselves, we were fortunate in having one room in
our house which was capable of resisting the rain, the terrace on its
roof having been cemented by one of the Beys, wdio had occupied it
a short time before ; and this, we really believe, was the only room
in the town which could be fairly considered weather-proof. The
court-yard round which our apartments were built (if they may be
dignified with so imposing an appellation) assumed for a long time
the appearance of a pond, and a narrow space was only left here
and there on its borders, by which we could pass from one room
to another.
From the state of our own house, which we have already said
BENGAZl.
283
might be considered as the best in the town, the condition of other
parts of Bengazi, during the rains, may be in some measure imagined;
although it will scarcely be possible for the inhabitants of civilized
countries, unacquainted with the nature of Arab towns, to conceive
half the wretchedness and the utter want of comfort which they
present on similar occasions.
The houses of Bengazi are built after the usual manner of Arab
buildings, that is to say, with rough and unequally-shaped stones,
put together with mud instead of mortar ; they generally consist of
a ground floor only, built round a square court-yard, which is
exposed to the weather, and into which the doors of the chambers
open, which seldom communicate with each other : the court is not
paved, and in houses of more than ordinary consequence, there is
sometimes a well in the centre. The roofs are flat, and are formed
of rafters (chiefly of young pine-trees from the neighbouring forests)
over which are laid mats, and on these there is generally a quantity
of sea- weed, or other vegetable rubbish ; over the whole is spread a
thick stratum of mud, which is beat down as hard as Arab laziness
w'ill admit of at the time when the terrace is made*.
They who can afford it (and there are very few so fortunate)
spread a preparation of lime over the mud ; which, as the cement is
usually well made, forms a surface impervious to the weather, while
the coating remains in good condition.
The rain wdiich fells is in these cases highly beneficial, since it is
* On these terraces barley and grass are frequently seen growing, and goats feeding
very contentedly.
2 0 2
•284
BENGAZI.
carried off by spouts into some general reservoir, or is collected in
large ear them jars for the daily consumption of the house. By far
the greater number of houses g,re, however, unprovided with any
defence of this nature ; and if the precaution of beating down the
mud which forms the terrace, sufficiently hard to make the water
run off, be not adopted at the commencement of the rains, it is more
than probable, that the whole of the building so neglected will dis-
appear before the season is over. As the rehgion and the laziness of an
Arab equally prompt him to depend more upon the interference of
Providence, than upon any exertions of his own, this precaution is
often neglected ; and after having borne, with exemplary patience,
all the dirt and inconvenience occasioned by the passage of the rain
through the mud over his head, he is roused from his lethargy by
the screams of his wife and children, alarmed, or badly wounded by
the fall of the roof, or by some serious accident from a similar cause,
by which he is a sufferer himself. Many persons were severely
wounded at Bengazi in the winter during which we were confined
there ; and it is probable, that there are accidents in the town every
year, occasioned by similar neglect.
4Vhen a house falls, it is generally left in a state of rubbish and
ruin, and the survivors of the family remove to another spot without
troubling themselves further about it : the consequence is, that the
streets are often nearly blocked up by mounds of this nature disposed
in various parts of them ; which form in the winter-time heaps of
mud and mire, and, in the dry weather, scatter thick clouds of light
dust in the faces and eyes of the passengers.
BENGAZI.
285
As these masses of rubbish also serve at the same time as general
receptacles for the superfluities of the city, groups of half-famished
dogs and myriads of flies are invariably collected about them ; in
the midst of which are seen lying very contentedly, or rolling about
for diversion, swarms of little naked children, regardless of either,
which one might almost fancy Avere actually produced by the fer-
tilizing qualities of these heaps of putrid matter, as the monsters of
old are asserted to have been from the slime and the mud of the
Nile. There is, however, nothing singular or peculiar to Bengazi
in the scene which we have just described ; for every Arab town and
village will be found, more or less, to present to us a similar spectacle.
Filth and dust, and swarms of insects of every description, must
inevitably be the consequences of this continued neglect ; and we
accordingly find that these several annoyances, together with the
scattered groups of lean dogs and naked children, form the principal
characteristics (in the estimation of their European visitors) of these
enviable places of abode. We say, in the opinion of the natives of
Europe, because an Arab or a Moor sees nothing remarkable in any
of the objects here alluded to, and would consider it a mark of affec-
tation or effeminacy to be annoyed at any similar objects or incon-
veniences.
In addition to the nuisances already enumerated, the open
spaces in Bengazi are usually ornamented by pools of stagnant,
putrid w'ater ; and that wEich is in the market-place is rendered
more particularly offensive, from the circumstance of its being the
common receptacle of the offal and blood of the animals which are
286
BENGAZI.
killed there, and which may truly be said to realize the words of the
poet in “ making the green one red.” It may readily be imagined,
that in the heat of the summer these places are not very wholesome,
and they are probably often the causes of fevers, especially during
the prevalence of southerly winds. That these sinks of corruption
should ever be bathing-places will not perhaps be so easily con-
ceived ; but they are nevertheless often used for such purpose ; and
the children of the town wiU very frequently adjourn from the dust-
heaps already described, to cool themselves (we cannot in conscience
say to clean themselves) in the green and red pools here alluded to.
With so many objects to attract and encourage them, it is not to be
wondered at, that Bengazi is proverbial for flies ; and every part of
the town, both within and without the houses, may truly be said to
swarm with them. Among the various annoyances with which the
place abounds, these are, perhaps, the most serious of any ; or, at all
events, they are those from which it is least possible to escape ; there
is, in fact, no chance of avoiding them ; they follow you everywhere
from place to place, settle on every part of the arms, legs, and body,
which the heat of the weather obliges you to leave uncovered ;
creep obstinately into the corners of the eyes, and up the nostrils?
into the hollows of the ears, and the corners of the mouth when it is
closed, and often fly down the throat, nearly choking you, when it is
open ; at meals every part of the dishes and their contents are
covered as soon as they are produced, and every fluid becomes a
^ trap for as many of these insects as can crowd themselves over its
surface. In short, there is literally no riding or walking, no reading
BENGAZI.
287
or writing, or eating or resting one’s-self, in any part of Bengazi in
comfort for them ; and if at night they take up their accustomed
position on the ceiling, and give place to the fleas and mosquitos,
the first dawn of morning finds them on the wing, and all alive to
recommence their operations. They are at the same time so watch-
ful, and so quick in their motions, that it is difficult to succeed in
kilhng any of them ; we often caught thirty or forty fleas in a morn-
ing on turning down the bed-clothes with a little attention, and as
many during the day on different parts of our dress, particularly
about the legs and ancles ; but the whole collection of flies which
we could kill in a week would scarcely amount to this number ;
unless we except those which were caught in the traps which we
were usually in the habit of setting for them. All hot climates are
more or less subject to these nuisances ; but it is probable that no
place on earth wiU be found to abound more in flies than Bengazi ;
we might perhaps say, that few places could be mentioned where
so many of them will at any time be observed.
The situation of Bengazi is, however, much better than so filthy a
town may be said to deserve. It is built on the coast, close to the
sea, at the extremity of a beautiful fertile plain, extending itself to
the foot of a long chain of mountains about fourteen miles distant
(in this part) to the south-eastward. Plentiful crops of corn and
vegetables are afforded to the town by the cultivated lands in the
neighbourhood, and the supplies of beef and mutton are in general
very regular and abundant. The harbour of Bengazi appears to
have been formerly capable of containing good-sized vessels, and,
even in the recollection of some of the present inhabitants, the
•288
BENGAZI.
Bashaw’s ships were accustomed to lay, where now only boats can be
accommodated.
At present it can only be entered by small vessels, drawing seven
or eight feet water, and that merely in moderate weather. It is well
protected from the sea by reefs of rocks, between which the entrance
is so narrow as to render a pilot necessary.
There seems to be little doubt that the harbour originally com-
municated at aU times with the lake to the southward of the town,
as it does at the present day in the rainy season ; but owing to the
accumulation of sand from the sea, and of alluvial deposite from the
lake, the communication is now, during the summer months, wholly
interrupted. At the entrance of the port is the castle of the Bey
of Bengazi, constructed on the ruins of an ancient building, part of
which is still visible at the base of the castle next the sea. The
existing structure is built with small stones and mud, so slightly,
that when the Adventure made its appearance before it, the Bey
requested Captain Smyth would dispense with the usual salute, as he
feared the concussion would otherwise bring down a part of the walls.
Its form is square, with a round tower at each of three angles ; the
fourth, which fronts the entrance of the harbour, being occupied by
a pile of building, appropriated to the harem of his excellency.
If the gallantry of Mahometans has been doubted or denied, here
is surely a proof of its existence ; for the angle given up to the
service of the ladies is almost the only one which could prove of any
annoyance to vessels entering the harbour ; and, while the three
turrets mentioned are provided with guns, this angle is left without
any. The fair inhabitants of the harem are in consequence favoured
BENGAZI.
289
with a view of the “ dark blue main,” and the grated windows of
their apartments command at the same time a view of the entrance
to the harbour.
The cool sea-breeze enters freely, and the ladies may sit with the
lattice spread open to enjoy it, without incurring the danger of
meeting the gaze of any vulgar or sacrilegious eye. The dashing of
the waters against the base of the castle may also serve to lull them to
sleep ; but candour, at the same time, obliges us to state, that it may
also serve to waken them rather too abruptly on no very distant
occasion. AVere it not that the lower part of the structure is (as
we have before mentioned) ancient, and consequently strongly built,
the interruption to which we allude would have happened long
before now ; and Neptune, as if encouraged by the daily glances of
so many soft dark eyes, would have washed away the barrier which
so cruelly interposed itself, and carried off the lovely inhabitants of
the harem to enliven his submarine soh'e'es.
Besides the harem of the Bey, the castle contains the officers and
chaouses of his household, and a numerous body of troops might be
lodged within the limits of its walls. In time of trouble, it is the
only place to which he could retreat with any safety, and it forms
the only ornament and the only protection which the town of Ben-
gazi possesses.
The Bey, whose name is Hahl, was once fortunate enough to pos-
sess a daughter of the Bashaw as his wife, a circumstance which
secured for him a good deal of influence (or at least a great portion
of the royal favour) during the life of hfs consort. He was not, how-
290
BENGAZI,
ever, destined to enjoy his good fortune long, for the princess died a
short time before our arrival at Tripoly, and with her highness
departed that portion of influence which Bey Halil through her
means had obtained. The profits arising from the government of
Bengazi would have been sufficient to enrich its possessor, had he
been allowed to enjoy them ; but the demands which were continually
made upon him by the Bashaw became so heavy after the death of his
wife, that the surplus was very inconsiderable. Besides this, the
collection of the tribute from the Bedouin tribes in the neighbour-
hood was often attended with difficulty, and must have made the
receipts uncertain ; but no allowance is made in Mahometan
countries for casualties of this description ; the will of a superior is a
law, and his demands must be punctually complied with, (whatever
may be the means of satisfying them,) if the office, and often the
life of the person upon whom they may be made, are valued by him.
The consequence is, that extortion in the heads of departments is the
cause of extortion in subalterns ; and he who has no power to avail
himself of tyranny, is generally doomed to be the sufferer himself,
for not being able to do more than his resources will allow him to
accomplish. Many a w ell-meaning man who would have acted with
propriety, had the alternative been less severe, is thus obliged to
commit acts of cruelty and injustice which his nature would not have .
inclined him to ; the force of habit and example at length subdues
his better feelings, and necessity is so often made the excuse for
tyrannical conduct, that it not only becomes a plea where it actually
obtains, but is urged as such eventually on occasions where no ne-
BENGAZI.
291
cessity really exists, to justify private acts of caprice and oppres-
sion, which have themselves only resulted from the long-indulged
habit of executing similar outrages for others.
The Bey having been officially apprized of our arrival, and that
we were desirous of paying our respects to him, appointed a day to
receive us ; and when the time arrived we proceeded to the castle,
accompanied by Signor Rossoni, the British vice-consul at Bengazi,
and his brother, Mr. Giacomo Rossoni. We found the Bey in a
plain whitewashed room of unimposing dimensions, but cool and
tolerably clean, seated upon cushions spread round a niche which
had been formed in the waU for the purpose. On each side of this
recess, or alcove, were ranged the principal officers of the household,
the chaouses, and several shekhs ; other parts of the room were occu-
pied by slaves and persons of inferior condition. There was much
less ceremony in the court of Bey Hahl than in that of the Bashaw
at Tripoly, and the conversation appeared to have been pretty general
before we entered the apartment in which he received us.
The hum of voices subsided all at once as we made our appear-
ance, and every person’s eyes seemed determined to exert them-
selves in proportion as his tongue was laid under restraint ; for the
steady gaze of all present was fixed upon our party as we took up
our stations near the Bey. We found his excellency a good-looking,
well-formed man, who, apparently from inactivity and good living,
had attained to that state of dignified emhonpoint at which persons
of inferior consideration in Mahometan countries are very seldom
destined to arrive. A Georgian by birth, Bey Hahl possessed
2 P 2
292
BENGAZI.
strongly the Asiatic cast of countenance and features, and an expres-
sion of unassuraed and unreserved goodnature gave a pleasing cha-
racter to his sharp, black eyes. His reception of our party was in
unison with his appearance ; and the formal inclination of the head,
usually made by Mahometans to strangers whom they honour with
their notice, gave place to a hearty English shake of the hand ;
while a cordial Bon giorno ! Ti stan bono? was substituted for the
grave and ceremonious salam, which, whenever it is offered by the
faithful to unbelievers, is almost invariably dictated by politeness
or policy merely.
Near the Bey stood his secretary, Hashi (whose pale and thin coun-
tenance, and weak, inflamed eyes, appeared to testify that his place
was no sinecure) ; and two of his head chaouses, one a native of
Constantinople, a short, corpulent, sleepy-looking personage ; the
other a tall, raw-boned, hard-featured Arab, who had shewn great
bravery and activity in petty wars with the Bedouin tribes, and
whose shattered hand bore testimony to his exploits.
Several persons came in from time to time, and having kissed his
excellency’s hand, and made the appropriate salams, squatted them-
selves down in different parts of the room, according to their rank
and station, and began with great attention their survey of our party.
The objects of the expedition had in all probability been made
known to the Bey before our arrival ; but we thought it proper to
state them in general terms to his excellency, through the medium
of Mr. Giacomo Kossoni, in his official character of interpreter.
This was no sooner done than the eyes of the spectators, which
BENGAZI.
293
had hitherto been actively employed, were relieved for a short time
by their organs of speech, exerted in ill-suppressed whispers. From
their gestures, and a word or two which we caught en passant, we
could perceive that very few of the Arabs assembled believed a single
word of our statement, (so far, at least, as the motives for the expe-
dition were concerned ;) for they could not at all imagine why persons
should be commissioned to make researches of such a nature as those
which they had just heard proposed, where money was not in fact
the real object of inquiry.
His excellency the Bey, though he received the statement gra-
ciously, and offered his assistance very freely in facilitating the ope-
rations of the mission, was scarcely himself convinced of the sanity
of a government which could concern itself with science and research,
particularly if no considerable pecuniary equivalent was likely to
result to His Majesty’s treasury for the expenses incurred by its
expeditions
* This idea is so strongly rooted in Mahometans of all classes and descriptions, as to
have called forth the animadversions of writers of their own persuasion. We find the
following remarks on the subject, in the Account of Egypt by Abd-Allatif, which we
give in the French version of Silvestre de Lacy.
“ Quand il ont aper§u des monumens d’une grandeur colossale, I’aspect de ces mo-
numens leur a inspire la terreur ; ils se sont fait des idees sottes et fausses de la
nature de ces restes de Tantiquite. Comme toutes les pensees de ces gens-la n’etoient
occupies que de I’objet unique de leurs voeux, et de la seule chose qui eut des charmes
pour leurs coeurs, je veux dire de I’or et de I’argent, ils ont eprouve ce qu’un poete a
dit d’un buveur :
“ Tout ce qu’il aper^oit lui paroit un gobelet ; quand il voit quelqu’un, il croit tou-
jours voir celui qui verse a boire.”
“ Ainsi tout ce qui paroissoit designer quelque chose a te, a leurs yeux, le signal
d’un tresor cach6 : ils n’ont pas pu voir une ouverture pratiqu6e dans une montagne
•294
BENGAZI.
We had brought with us several papers for Bey Halil from the
Bashaw, all of which, when presented (with the exception of one),
he put into the hands of his secretary Hashi, his excellency not
being himself quite au fait at deciphering the contents of his letters.
The paper retained was the teskere from the Bashaw (already men-
tioned) for five hundred dollars ; and it is probable that the frequent
arrival of similar orders had rendered their appearance so familiar to
Bey Halil, that he was able to distinguish them without the assist-
ance of his secretary, though he could not read a word of other
matter.
A slight change of countenance, when he first cast his eyes upon
the teskere, was, however, the only visible effect which it produced
on the exterior of the Bey of Bengazi ; and his good breeding did
not allow him to manifest in any other way that our visit was not in
all respects perfectly agreeable to him. We may add, that the sum
sans s’imaginer que c’6toit un chemin qui conduisoit a quelque I'iche d^pot ; une statue
colossale a ete pour eux le gardien de I’argent depose a ses pieds, et le vengeur impla-
cable de toute entreprise formee centre la surete de ce d6p6t. Ils ont done eu recours
a toutes sortes d’artifices pour detruire ces statues et les degrader ; ils en ont mutile
les figures, comme des gens qui espferoient par-la atteindre leur but, et qui crai-
gnoient, en les attaquant ouvertement, de s’ attirer leur propre ruine : ne doutant point
que ce ne fussent autant de coffres forts remplis de sonames immenses ; ils se sont aussi
enfonces dans les fentes des montagnes, semblable aux voleurs qui penetrent dans les
maisons par toute autre voie que par les portes, et qui saisissent avidement une occa-
sion inconnue a tout autre qu’ a eux.” — (R61. d’Egypte, p. 197.)
In this passage it clearly appears how much credulity and superstition was mixed up
with the idea in question ; and these exist in conjunction with it, to the present day,
among the various Arab tribes of Asia and Africa, and in a great degree among the
Turks.
BENGAZl.
295
was punctually paid to us, after some little (possibly unavoidable)
delay, by the hands of secretary Hashi ; and the credit of his excel-
lency was in no other way diminished, than by the discharge of the
five hundred dollars at several times, instead of being made at one
payment. Had we known at Tripoly so much of the Bey’s private
history, as we have already stated above, this teskere might have
been spared him ; for we should certainly not have been induced to
accept any order upon him, however trifling, could we have supposed
that its payment might be inconvenient.
Soon after we left the coast of Africa, Bey Halil was removed
from the government of Bengazi, and it is probable that he had
reason to rejoice at his dismissal ; for had he remained there much
longer than he did, the continued demands for money and cargoes,
so unmercifully made upon him by his Highness, could scarcely have
failed to ruin him. In addition to these, he had sustained a consi-
derable loss in the capture of one of the vessels which he had
freighted, by the Greeks, as we were informed, at Bengazi ; and also
in the destruction of the jewels and wardrobe of his wife, which the
Bashaw had ordered to be burnt (it was said) after the death of that
unfortunate princess.
In compliance, we presume, with the practice of the court of Tri-
poly, tea was served to us with the sherbet,' instead of coffee, at the
interviews we had with Bey Halil ; as we have already mentioned it
to have been in that with the Shekh of Mesurata.
In the course of our first visit, we took occasion to mention to his
excellency the careless manner in which Shekh Mahommed el I)6b-
296
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bah had fulfilled the injunctions of the Bashaw ; and to enumerate a
few of the impositions, the unnecessary delays, and privations, to which
which we had in consequence been subjected ; acquainting him at
the same with the loss of property which we had sustained, from the
thievish disposition of the Dhbbah’s people. We hoped by this
complaint to get back a pocket compass, and some other articles
which we could ill spare, which had been stolen from our tents on
the journey across the Syrtis. Bey Halil was, however, either unwill-
ing or unable to assist us in the matter ; and after shrugging up his
shoulders in dignified silence (as if he had expected nothing less),
he summed up the whole of his displeasure in the single exclamation
of— “Arab ! By which he seemed to imply, that, as one of that race,
the Shekh could not be other than a rogue *.
Unsatisfactory as this administration of justice may appear, it did
not seem probable that we should obtain any other ; and having one
means of punishment, at least, in our own hands (that of mulcting
the Shekh, whom we had not fully paid, to the amount of the pro-
perty stolen), we did not press the subject any further with his
excellency ; and after having made known to him our intention of
remaining during the rainy season in Bengazi, and of proceeding after-
* As the Dubbah had sworn that neither himself nor his people knew anything of
the articles which we had lost, we never got them back again ; although one of his
own party afterwards confessed that they had stolen all that was missing. Shekh Ma-
hommed did not hesitate to take a false oath — but he had too great a value for what
he thought his character, to confess that he had deliberately perjured himself. At
Malta we heard that a heavy fine of sheep and camels had been levied upon him by
the Bashaw, for his disgraceful behaviour and wilful disobedience of his Highness’s
most positive orders.
BENGAZI.
297
wards to the eastward, we concluded by requesting his assistance
and protection, in furtherance of the remaining objects of the mis-
sion, and took our leave under the most decided and friendly assur-
ances of having everything arranged as we could wish.
As soon as this visit of ceremony was over, we began to employ our
time, which, on account of the heavy rains, was necessarily passed in
doors, in putting together the materials which we had collected on our
route, in making some arrangements for improving the condition of
our horses, of which they stood much in need, and in preparing pro-
visions and other necessaries which were required for our journey to
the eastward. In these pursuits we were materially assisted by the
vice-consul and his brother, Mr. Giacomo Kossoni, to both of whom our
thanks are particularly due, as well on these as on many other occa-
sions. Our time, though we passed it as agreeably as we could, never-
theless often hung very heavy on our hands ; and we soon found that
Bengazi was a residence which we should quit with very little regret.
There is not a single place of public resort or amusement in any part
of this gloomy abode : its inhabitants idle or sleep away the greater
part of their time, without appearing to entertain the slightest desire
of improving their comfortless and miserable condition, or of enliven-
ing the monotony of their pursuits. Turkish towns are not in general
remarkable for gaiety, and we did not expect to find theatres or
assembly-rooms; but there is usually a good deal of amusement to be
derived from occasional visits to the coffee-shops and bazaars, and not
unfrequently some useful information. These resources, however,
were not afforded us at Bengazi; for there is nothing of the kind there
298
BENGAZI.
that we felt an inclination to visit a second time. Strangers who
arrive there may indeed find a shelter from the weather, in a place
well known to Mahometans as the Fundook, a temporary place of
reception and partial accommodation. We once, and once only,
took occasion to visit this place ; and on entering, it through the
aperture of a broken door, we found ourselves in a long arched
room, in which there was scarcely sufficient fight to show us where
to place our feet, a precaution which was nevertheless highly essen-
tial. Here we perceived the remains of a charcoal fire, which had
been kindled on the well-smoked capital of a marble column, and a
a greasy Arab stretched close to it on the ground, snoring amid the
folds of his barracan. The building itself was of some antiquity,
though not apparently older than the worst time of the lower empire,
the roof being supported upon small columns of execrable taste, and
the other parts of the building in no better style. The exterior had
undergone some repair from time to time, but no attention whatever
had been paid to the chamber within, not even that of removing the
dirt and filth which was collected there ; and the consequence was,
that the level of the floor reached two-thirds of the way up the
columns. We need scarcely add, that whatever attractions this place
may have had for an Arab, it had httle allurement for us ; and we
should have laid ourselves down, without the least hesitation, to pass
a rainy night in the street, rather than subject ourselves to the
punishment of taking shelter for an hour under its roof.
The house in which we had taken up our abode was the property
of the Shekh el Belad, a very worthy person, much respected by all
BENGAZI.
299
who knew him : he soon made us acquainted with the principal
people of the town, from whom we collected what little information
they could alford us, respecting the country, and the several objects
of our mission*. We were informed that Bengazi contained about
two thousand inhabitants, a large proportion of which were Jews
and negro slaves ; but the number of persons residing in the town is
continually varying, owing to the circumstance of many persons
»
removing to the country, whenever the weather permits, where they
establish themselves in tents, or in huts made of palm-branches and
dhurra-stalks f . The Jews of Bengazi are a persecuted race, but
uniformly steady in their pursuit after riches : as is usually the case
in Mahometan countries, they are (with the few exceptions we shall
presently mention) the principal merchants and tradesmen of the
place ; and their well-directed and unremitted industry alone enables
them to meet the heavy exactions which are made upon their purses
and property by the adherents to the religion of the Prophet. Their
houses are generally cleaner and better furnished than those of most
of the Mahometans, and we never entered any of them without
finding the whole family employed in some useful occupation.
We found them invariably civil and obliging, and apparently
contented with their condition ; which proves how much habit will
* The Shekh el Belad Mahommed was nearly related to Shekh Belcazi, from whom
we had received so much civility at Mesurata — he had two brothers also in Bengazi, both
of whom were shekhs and merchants.
t Signor Della Celia has mentioned five thousand as the number of inhabitants in
Bengazi ; but this statement appears to be overrated, as well as that of the number of
Jews residing in tlie town, which, he tells us, amounts to half the population.
2 Q 2
300
BENGAZl.
reconcile us to evils, which, to those not inured to them, would be
intolerable. The “ fierce impatience” which formerly characterized
the Jews of the Cyrenaica has disappeared with the probability of its
being successfully exerted ; and poverty is now almost the only evil
to which they will not quietly submit The trade of Bengazi is not,
however, wholly confined to the Jews ; for, besides the Bey himself,
who may be considered as the first merchant, there are several
other very respectable Mahometan traders f ; the Bazaar, notwith-
standing, presents little more than the articles in greatest request
among the Bedouins ; amongst which may be seen bundles of rusty
nails, horse-shoes, musket-balls, and large flints, which form the chief
objects of their visits, and are exposed for sale, on boards, at the
doors of a few of the most industrious Arab inhabitants of the
town, and bargained for with as much seriousness and vehe-
mence, as if they were the most costly goods. The produce of
the interior consists chiefly in corn, wool, and manteca, with which
the merchants freight the different foreign vessels which purposely
touch at Bengazi. This is done in preference to employing the small
vessels of the country ; first, because the foreign vessels are much
better navigated, and secondly, because in sailing under European ^
* “ This fierce impatience of the dominion of Rome continued, on the part of the
Jews, from the reign of Nero to that of Antoninus Pius.”— (Gibbon, vol. ii. p. 384.)
“ In Gyrene the Jews massacred two hundred and twenty thousand Greeks ; in
Cyprus two hundred and forty thousand; in Egypt a very great multitude.” — (See Dion
Cassius, as cited by Gibbon.)
t Among the most conspicuous of these was Hassan Larkoum, to whom we had
brought a letter of recommendation from the ex-minister at Tripoly, Mahommed
D’Ghies, and who treated us with the greatest civility and attention.
BENGAZI.
301
colours they are less liable to molestation from the Greeks. Besides
these articles, oxen are well known to constitute a great portion of
the trade of Bengazi, and many vessels are kept constantly employed
in transporting them to Malta and other places during the summer
months. If the wind prove favourable, and the passage be quickly
made, the profits to all parties are great ; but it sometimes happens
that, from violent or contrary winds, or from the vessel being ill
calculated for the cargo, and more frequently from there being too
great a number of these poor animals crowded inconsiderately
together, that so many oxen die from thirst and suffocation, from
bruises, and occasionally from drowning, as to render the profits of
the voyage very trifling.
The cattle are chiefly driven from the neighbourhood of Gy-
rene, where their original cost is from six to eight dollars a head ;
some expenses, of course, are incurred on the road, but these are
amply covered by the price of ten and thirteen dollars, at which sum
the oxen are furnished to the captains of the bullock-vessels : the
master, again, being fully compensated by a contract of about
eighteen dollars a head at Malta.
The prospect of fine weather very often induces the captain to
take on board as many as there is standing-room for in his vessel, on
both upper and lower deck, in both of which the poor animals are
jammed as close as they can possibly be stowed. The sufferings of
the oxen in hot and oppressive weather, taken at once from the
invigorating atmosphere of their native mountains, and exposed to
the thick and almost suffocating steam (proceeding from their own
302
BENGAZI.
bodies) which they must necessarily breathe in the place of their
confinement, will be more easily deplored than described. So
oppressive is the heat, on many occasions, in the lower deck of the
bullock-vessels, that the men employed to look after the unfortunate
animals can scarcely stay more than ten minutes there, except imme-
diately under the hatchways ; and such of the oxen as chance, from
their situation, or other causes, to be more affected by the closeness
of the atmosphere than the rest, are obliged to be dragged up con-
tinually to the deck above, to prevent them from dying of suffoca-
tion.
AVe are sorry to say that our own experience enables us to speak
decidedly on these points ; for as there was no other vessel in the
harbour of Bengazi, when we left the coast, than a bullock-vessel,
and no other expected to arrive, we were obliged to take a passage
in the only one of them then remaining. As we experienced, nearly
the whole voyage, the most provoking calms, our passage was an
unusually long one ; and independently of the extreme incon-
venience (to use the mildest term) which we experienced ourselves,
we had to witness a scene of suffering which we shall never forget,
and which we would willingly have gone through much more than
we experienced to have avoided. It is indeed scarcely possible to
conceive that human nature could be really so degraded from its
rank in creation, as it appears to be in the persons of those who form
the crew of a bullock-vessel.
And yet many of them are not, on other occasions, cruel men
but the constant habit of witnessing and inflicting sufferings, which
BENGAZI.
303
they seem to think matters of course, has so blunted their kinder feel-
ings in the discharge of this particular duty, that one might almost
blush (on witnessing their conduct) at being classed in the same
species with them *. The horrors of slave-ships are happily for the
most part abolished, through the humanity and the influence of
Englishmen ; and if the government of Malta were acquainted with
the horrors of bullock-vessels, they would surely take means to pre-
vent the recurrence of them. Eet us hope that some Martin may
arise in the Mediterranean who will exert himself in bringing this
about ; we will answer for it, he will never sit down to a piece of
beef without feehngs of more than usual satisfaction.
Among the persons to whom we were introduced by Shekh Ma-
hommed, there were several whose good sense and good feeling
would have done credit to a more civilized people ; and the time
which we spent in their society was often very agreeably passed.
They were able to afford us a good deal of information respecting
the country to the eastward, and in the interior, which we afterwards
found very useful ; but they were generally shy in giving an opinion
upon affairs of a political nature. They would, however, talk freely
of the exploits of Mahommed Bey, who was so instrumental in re-
ducing the country to its present state of tranquillity; and whose san-
guinary measures alone procured for Bengazi the security which it
* It was curious to observe the singular mixture of feeling displayed by some of the
crew of our vessel — after deliberately inflicting the most cruel treatment on some unfor-
tunate, groaning animal, we often heard a man exclaim, when he had finished his task,
“ Poverino ! so ben che tu patisci !” and he would then hurry on to inflict the same
cruelties on some other wi'etched object of his care.
304
BENGAZI.
now enjoys*. We often conversed on the subject of the existing war
with the Greeks, and they manifested at all times extreme curiosity
to know what part we should take, in the event of the arrival of any
Greek vessel off their port. Our answers were always satisfactory to
them ; and a report of the English being favorably , inclined towards
the Porte having by some means reached them, we were in subse-
quent interviews addressed as Sahab, or ally.
This confidence in our intentions was not, however, so strongly felt
among the lower classes of people ; at least it did not appear to have
been so on the occasion which we are about to mention.
Some vague reports of the successes of the Greeks, and their mer-
ciless treatment of the prisoners which they had taken, having
reached the people of Bengazi, they became, on a sudden, uncom-
monly nervous, and were in momentary apprehension of an invasion,
and of an indiscriminate slaughter of themselves and their families.
The appearance of the Adventure, about this time, on their coast,
which had not been visited by a man-of-war for a long time before,
together with the arrival, soon after, of our party, whose real objects
were for the most part unintelligible to them, added to the circum-
* Previously to these measures, the town was constantly subject to the attacks of the
neighbouring tribes of marauding Arabs, who, as occasion offered, made incursions into
it without ceremony, and retired with their plunder into the interior. The garrison
and citizens opposed them as well as they could, and many a desperate skirmish fre-
quently ensued ; but as Bengazi is unprovided with walls, it was difficult to prevent a
surprise, and the people lived in continual fear. Mahommed Bey began by building a
I'ound fort on the sandy traet to the eastward cf the town, and then collecting his forces,
carried the war into their territory, and after making severe examples of the most refrac-
tory, succeeded in reducing the Bedouins to subjection.
BENGAZI.
305
stance of their having seen us employed in making plans and draw-
ings of their fort and harbour, all contributed to strengthen their
suspicions and their fears ; and they soon began to consider our
residence among them as, in some way, connected with the Greeks.
While their minds were thus prepared, it unluckily happened one
evening just before sunset, that some hard clouds had formed them-
selves on the horizon, into shapes which they conceived to resemble
ships under sail ; the appearance soon excited the greatest alarm,
and many an eager eye was fixed upon the formidable armada which
imagination had suggested to the terrified Arabs*. Before they
could be satisfied that there was no foundation for their fears, it was
too dark to distinguish anything more; and the greatest confusion
very shortly prevailed in every part of Bengazi. The men now
began to prepare their fire-arms, and the signal to assemble was
everywhere repeated ; the women and children running about in the
greatest terror, calling out that the Christians were coming to murder
them !
The disturbance was not long unknown to our party, for our door
shortly became the centre of confusion ; a mob of Arabs was very
soon collected about it, who manifested the most hostile feeling, and
the street rang with invectives against the Nasdrasj-. It would
have gone hard with any Christian who had been found unarmed in
♦ About the same time some high poles had been erected by our party, on the sand
hills to the eastward of the town, as objects from which to take angles for the survey ;
and these were now considered to have been placed there as signals to regulate the
motions of the enemy’s fleet.
t The Arab term for all who profess Christianityi
306
BENGAZI.
the streets at this moment ; for even Giacomo Eossoni (the brother
of the Consul), who was a great favorite with the Arabs, and who
chanced to be out just before, very narrowly escaped with his life in
making his way to take refuge in our house. We had every desire
to act as conciliatory a part as possible, but finding our doors assailed
in the manner described, we armed ourselves, with the intention of
defending the house to the last, should the Arabs proceed to extre-
mities. At this difficult moment Shekh Mahommed and his bro-
thers, accompanied by some of our other Arab friends, made their
way through the mob and arrived just in time to prevent an imme-
diate attack upon our quarters ; and we afterwards learnt that one
of the Shekh’s brothers had been felled to the ground, for his remon-
strances in our favour, before he could reach our door. A parley
was now begun with great vehemence on both sides ; but before any
measures could be determined upon, an alarm was excited that the
Greeks might be landing while this discussion was pending, and the
whole party of rioters hurried down to the beach, leaving none but
the women and children in the town. Muskets were now discharged
in various directions, without any person knowing what they were
firing at, and the whole strength of the place was drawn up on the
beach in momentary expectation of being attacked by the invaders.
At length, after a lapse of several hours, they conceived that suffi-
cient time had been given for the approach of the vessels, if Bengazi
had been really their object ; and after inquiring of one another what
grounds there had been for all the disturbance they had been mak-
ing, without any one being able to give a satisfactory answer, the
BENGAZI.
307
whole party retired very quietly to their houses, and nothing more
was ever heard of the formidable invasion which had excited such
alarm and confusion. In the mean time Signor Giacomo, who had
been some time in our house, became anxious to relieve his family
from the apprehensions which they could not but have entertained
for his safety ; but his European dress being likely to attract atten-
tion, and expose him to danger or insult, we offered our services to
accompany him ; and on reaching his house in safety, he learnt that
the Consul had been obhged to shut himself up w ith his family, and
that they had been in the greatest alarm for him. Thus ended a
panic which arose from the most trifling circumstance, threw the
whole town into serious confusion, and threatened the lives of all the
Christians in the place, without having the slightest foundation.
It was singular to observe, during the whole of this affair, the total
want of system and discipline which prevailed; each person hurrying
he hardly knew where, because he saw others in motion, and leaving
his home, with his family and property, at the mercy of any one
who might invade it. A handful of men might have taken the
whole town, which was left for several hours without any defence,
and carried off their plunder beyond the reach of pursuit before the
inhabitants knew they had been there. This was the only molesta-
tion we ever met with from the people of Bengazi ; and, to do them
justice, we must allow that it proceeded rather from their igno-
rance and their fears, than from any decided hostility or ill-will
towards ourselves. On all other occasions we found them civil and
obliging, and usually inclined to be of service to us when they could.
2 R 2
308
BENGAZI.
With regard to the manners and customs of the people of Bengazi,
we saw nothing in which they differed materially from those of
Arabs in general ; and it would merely be repeating what has been
often observed by others, were we to give any detailed description
of them. It is well known what reliance is placed by the Arab on
the efficacy, we may say, the infallibility of charms and family nos-
trums, and how much they are averse to calling in medical aid till
they have repeatedly tried their own remedies without success. We
saw a lamentable instance of this adherence to popular prejudice
and superstition, in the case of an interesting girl of Bengazi, the
daughter of one of the Arabs of the town. As Mr. Campbell was
standing at the door of our house, in company with some others of
our party, an old woman hurried towards him, and eagerly seizing both
his hands, conjured him to come and visit her daughter, who she said
was very ill with a swelling in the throat. Mr. Campbell immedi-
ately complied with her request, and accompanied her, together with
one or two of the other officers, to the house where the patient was
lying. On entering they found the poor girl we have mentioned, ex-
tended upon the floor, in a state of delirium, while her sister, on her
knees by her side, was endeavouring by means of a fan to keep away
the myriads of flies from her face, with which the room as usual
abounded. Her throat was soon found to be so much ulcerated and
swelled, as almost to prevent respiration ; and it seemed but too
evident that the hand of death was already lying heavily upon her.
She had been ill for nine d lys with a typhus fever, and the usual
charms and remedies had been employed by her parents, who only
BENGAZI.
309
came to Mr. Campbell for advice when all their own prescriptions
had failed. The violence of the fever had now subsided, leaving the
unhappy girl in a state of exhaustion, and a mortification appeared
to have taken place. Every means were of course resorted to which
our medicine-chest atforded, and every possible attention was paid
to the comfort of the patient; but all our care was unavailing; the
disease was too far advanced to be subdued by medical skill, and
the poor girl shortly expired, a victim rather to ignorance and super-
stition, than to any fatal symptoms in the disease itself, had the pro-
per remedies been apphed in time.
Through a similar infatuation, the son of our worthy landlord,
Shekh Mahommed, who was in other respects a very sensible man,
had nearly fallen a victim to the prejudices of his father. He had,
unknown to us, been for many days dangerously ill of a fever ;
during which time his father kept him shut up in a dark, close room,
and almost smothered him with blankets. When we heard of the
circumstance, Mr. Campbell immediately offered his advice and assist-
ance ; but both were civilly declined, the good Shekh observing, at
the same time, that if it were the will of God that his favourite son
should die, no exertions of any one could save him, and he himself
had only to submit, without repining, to the visitation which heaven
had been pleased to bring upon him. We, however, at last succeeded
in prevailing upon him to accept of Mr. Campbell’s mediation, and,
in the course of a few weeks, we are happy to state, the boy com-
pletely recovered. Some other cures which Mr. Campbell was
enabled to make at length gained him a great reputation, and some
310
BENGAZI.
of the operations to which he had recourse at once delighted and
astonished the Arabs.
A man much emaciated, who had been long afflicted with the
dropsy, was persuaded to submit to the operation of tapping ; and
when his numerous Arab friends, who had assembled to witness the
ceremony, saw the water streaming out from the abdomen, they
were unable to restrain the loud expression of their surprise at the
sight ; and lifting up their hands and eyes to Heaven, called Allah
to witness that the tiheeb* was a most extraordinary man-)-!
Dysentery and liver complaints were very common in Bengazi, but
we did not observe so many cases of ophthalmia as we had found at
Tripoly and Mesurata. Cutaneous diseases of the most virulent kind
were very prevalent, as well among the people of the town, as among
the Bedouin tribes in the neighbourhood ; indeed, we found that
these disorders prevailed more or less in every part of the northern
coast of Africa which we visited. The inhabitants of the Cyrenaica
suppose them to be chiefly occasioned by handling their cattle, but it
is probable that unwholesome food and water, to which they may be
occasionally subjected, and the little use which they make of the
latter for external purposes, contribute more effectually to engender
* Tibeeb is the common Ai-ab term for a doctor.
t Several quarts of water were taken from this poor man, who, when he left our
house, was scarcely distinguishable as the same person who had entered it, having
diminished so much in size after the operation. He was, in fact, materially relieved,
and continued to improve daily in health ; till one day, after washing his shirt, he put
it on, as the quickest way of drying it, a custom not uncommon among the Arabs, and
caught so bad a cold in consequence, that all the doctor’s exertions were afterwards
unable to save him.
BENGAZI.
311
and encourage these diseases, than the circumstances to which they
attribute them.
Among the numerous instances, which we observed during our
stay at Bengazi, illustrative of Arab character and prejudices, we
may notice one which occurred in the skeefa (or entrance-hall) of
our house, where a select party of the inhabitants of the town
usually assembled themselves when the weather permitted. On
this occasion, the women of England formed the principal subject
of conversation, and the reports of their beauty, which had
reached some of our visitors, appeared to have made a great im-
pression in their favour. One of our party then produced a minia-
ture from his pocket, which chanced to be the resemblance of a very
pretty girl ; and he roundly asserted, as he handed it to the com-
pany, that every woman in England was as handsome. We have
already observed, that the subject was a very pretty girl ; and they
who are unacquainted with the force of custom and prejudice, will
hardly conceive that an object so pleasing could be the cause of a
moment’s alarm. But truth obliges us to add, that the first Arab of
our party, who was favoured with a sight of the lady in question,
started back in dismay and confusion ; and all his worthy country-
men who cast their eyes upon the picture, withdrew them, on the
instant, in the greatest alarm, exhibiting the strongest symptoms of
astonishment and shame. The fact was, that the young lady who
had caused so much confusion, was unluckily painted in a low even-
ing dress ; and her face was only shaded by the luxuriant auburn
curls, which fell in ringlets over her forehead and temples.
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BENGAZI.
There was nothing, it will be thought, so extremely alarming in
this partial exhibition of female beauty ; and the favoured inhabi-
tants of less decorous, and more civilized countries, would scarcely
dream of being shocked at a similar spectacle. But to men who
inhabit those regions of delicacy, where even one eye of a female
must never be seen stealing out from the sanctuary of her veil, the
sudden apparition of a sparkling pair of those luminaries is not a
vision of ordinary occurrence. At the same time, the alarm of
the worthy Shekhs assembled, which the bright eyes and naked
face (as they termed it) of our fair young countrywoman had so
suddenly excited, was in no way diminished by the heinous ex-
posure of a snowy neck and a well-turned pair of shoulders ; and
had they been placed in the situation of Yusuf, when the lovely
Zuleika presented herself in all her charms as a suitor for the
young Hebrew’s love *, or in the more embarrassing dilemma of
the Phrygian shepherd -prince*, when three immortal beauties
stood revealed before his sight, they could scarcely have felt or
expressed more confusion. Every Arab, who saw the picture, ac-
tually blushed and hid his face with his hands ; exclaming — w’ Allah
haram — (by Heaven ’tis a sin) to look upon such an exposure of
female charms !
It is, no doubt, very gratifying, in these ages of assurance, to wit-
ness so unequivocal a display of genuine modesty ; and we confess
that we ought not to have laughed so heartily as we did at this
* Yusuf and Zuleika are the Mahometan names of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife.
BENGAZI.
313
laudable expression of it in our guests : but it certainly did appear to
us somewhat ridiculous to see men, with long beards, w ho had each of
them two or three wdves, so completely discomfited at the sight of a
rosy -faced girl. At the same time, w'e must allow that w^e have also our
prejudices ; and it is probable, that the appearance of a young Arab
damsel, with her veiled face and naked legs and feet, in the midst of
a party of Englishmen, might occasion no trifling confusion ; scarcely
less, perhaps, than that which was occasioned by the display of the
fair face and neck above mentioned. It was some time before our
worthy Arab friends recovered from the serious shock which their
modesty had sustained ; but as modesty (for wEat reason w^e will not
pretend to determine) is by no means an unconquerable feeling,
we prevailed upon the blushing Shekhs, when the first impression
had subsided, to take a second look at the picture ; declaring, that
there was nothing in so innocent a display at which the most correct
of true behevers need be shocked. We will not venture to say that
they were quite of our opinion ; but it is certain that their curiosity
(at least we suppose it to have been that) very soon got the better
of their scruples ; and we even think, that some of them might ac-
tually have been persuaded to trust themselves in those sinful
regions where a pretty face and figure may be looked at and admired
without any very serious breach of decorum. As for Shekh Mahom-
med, he had so far recovered himself as to put the object of his former
confusion into his pocket, though merely to show it (as he said) to
his wives ; and was hardy enough to keep it three or four days, before
he returned it to its owner.
314
BENGAZI.
With respect to the Arab women, we will venture to say (though
we do not think that modesty is their predominant quahty) that no
consideration could induce them to dress themselves in the manner
which caused such astonishment to our acquaintance: and they
would certainly not believe that the ladies of Europe, to whom
such costume is familiar, would object to appear in the presence
of the other sex without their shoes and stockings. As for
dancing with men, and taking them by the hand, it would be
looked upon as the last stage of effrontery and indehcacy ; yet
their own familiar dance is at the same time of such a nature
that no modest women of Europe could look at it. It would be a
curious experiment in natural history to see which of the ladies
would require most persuasion ; the Arab to appear in public with-
out any veil, or the Englishwoman without shoes and stockings.
There can be no question which of the two is most civilized ; yet, we
own, we cannot see that it is at all more indecent to appear in public
with the legs and feet uncovered, than it is to expose the face, arms,
and neck ; or that it is really more modest to cover the face than to
leave it in its natural state. Of the two, we should certainly think
it more modest to cover the face than the feet ; yet we know that
the practice of going without a veil is adopted by the most refined
nations of the globe, and that the habit of wearing it is by no means
inconsistent with levity and want of proper feeling.
To return to our description of the town ; we have already stated,
that Bengazi may be considered as occupying the site of the Bere-
nice of the Ptolemies, and of the Hesperis of earlier times; but very
BENGAZI.
315
few remains now appear above ground to interest the sculptor, the
architect, or the antiquary. Berenice has, in fact, disappeared from
the beautiful plain on which it stood, and a miserable, dirty, Arab
town has reared itself on its ruins, or rather on the soil which covers
its ruins, for all its interest is now under ground.
The erection of Bengazi on the site of the ancient town, rather
than the effects of time, or of hostile violence, appears to have been
chiefly the cause of the total disappearance of the latter ; for the
stones of which the buildings were originally composed being too
large for the purposes of the Arabs, are broken up into small pieces
before they are used in modern structures, and generally before they
are removed from the places in which they are dug up. Many a
noble frieze and cornice, and many a well-proportioned capital has
been crushed under the hammer of these barbarians ; so that, even
^\ere there not a single house in Bengazi which has not been com-
posed of ancient materials, yet there is nothing of architecture in any
of them at present to fix, and scarcely to arrest, the attention. We
were ourselves just too late to save from the hammer several portions
of a large and well-executed Ionic entablature, which a worthy Arab
Shekh had caused to be excavated and brought into his court-yard, to
form part of a house which he was building without the town, and
which was carefully beat to pieces by his servants and slaves before it
was bedded in the mud which received it. Very extensive remains
of building are still found about Bengazi, at the depth of a foot or two
from the surface of the plain ; and whenever a house is intended to be
erected, the projector of it has nothing more to do, in order to obtain
2 s a
316
BENGAZl.
materials for building it, than to send a few men to excavate in the
neighbourhood, and with them a camel, or two or three asses, to trans-
port what is dug up to the spot which has been fixed upon for the
house. If the fragments which are found should prove too large for
removal (which is generally the case) they are broken into smaller
pieces, without the least hesitation or concern, till they are reduced to
a convenient size for loading, and are afterwards broken again into still
smaller pieces, as occasion may require, on the place where the house
is built. ]\Iany valuable remains of antiquity must have disappeared
in this way, but it is probable, at the same time, that many still exist
to reward the expense of excavation ; and we have little doubt, that
statues and inscriptions, numerous fragments of architecture, and
good collections of coins and gems, might still be obtained within the
distance of half a mile round Bengazi. On the beach to the north-
ward and to the north-eastward of the town, where a bank of twenty
and thirty feet (more or less) is formed of the rubbish of one of
the ancient cities, coins and gems are continually washed down in
rainy weather ; and the inhabitants of Bengazi repair in crowds to
the beach, after storms, and sift the earth which falls away from the
cliff, disposing of whatever they may find to the few Europeans of
the place *.
When we reflect that Berenice flourished under Justinian, and that
* An excellent collection of these remains of Grecian art has been recently sold for a
considerable sum®, by a relation of the Vice-Consul of Bengazi, who had not been many
years resident there.
a Six thousand dollars, as we were informed.
BENGAZI.
317
its walls underwent a thorough repair in the reign of that Emperor,
it will be thought somewhat singular, that both the town and its
walls should have disappeared so completely as they have done.
W e have already mentioned the disappearance of the city, and it may
here be observed, that scarcely a vestige of its walls now remains
above the surface of the plain, and that it would not be possible to
decide its precise limits, without a great deal of previous excavation.
It is probable, however, that Berenice did not extend beyond the
actual limits of Bengazi ; for the salt-water lake to the southward of
the town would prevent its going farther in that direction, and the
ground to the eastward is in most parts so low as to be frequently
overflowed by the sea, which oozes through the sand heaped upon
the beach in that direction.
From the circumstance of the water in Bengazi being brackish, it
is probable that the ancient town was furnished with an aqueduct
from some springs of sweet water, about half a mile distant from it
to the eastward ; and the existence of remains of ancient reservoirs,
or cisterns, with troughs, constructed of stone, leading into them, still
observable on the beach where the coins and gems are collected,
would seem, in some degree, to favour this supposition*.
On first discovering the quarries from which the city of Berenice,
and probably that of Hesperis also, have been constructed, we flat-
tered ourselves that we should have found them full of excavated
tombs, which are usually formed in similar situations, when the
* These would however serve equally for the reception of rain water, which falls in
abundance at Bengazi during the winter.
318
BENGAZI.
quarries are not far from the town : but two or three chambers only
appeared, which did not seem to us to have been intended for places
of burial, and the tombs of both cities must be looked for in the
plain, under the soil or the sand which now conceals them
The trees and shrubs which are growing in the quarries we allude
to, and have rooted themselves, at the same time, in the sides of the
rocks which they are formed in, give these places a very wild and
picturesque appearance, not unworthy of the pencil of Salvator ; and,
had not our time been fully occupied in research, when the weather
allowed us to ramble, we should have been glad to have made some
sketches of them. The caper plant is found there in great abun-
dance, and spreads itself, like ivy, over the steep sides of the rocks,
hanging down in the most luxuriant and beautiful clusters.
In speaking of the steep rocks in which these quarries are formed,
we must state, that they do not rise above the surface of the plain,
but are sunk down, perpendicularly, to a considerable depth, so as not
to be visible till they are closely approached. Besides the quarries
here mentioned, some very singular pits or chasms, of natural forma-
tion, are found in the neighbourhood of Bengazi : they consist of a
level surface of excellent soil, of several hundred feet in extent, in-
closed within steep, and for the most part perpendicular, sides of sohd
rock, rising sometimes to a height of sixty or seventy feet, or more,
before they reach the level of the plain in which they are situated.
* In one of these quarries a large portion of the rock, shaped into a quadrangular
form, has been insulated from the rest to serve the purpose of a tomb, after the manner
of those at Ptolemeta.
BENGAZI.
319
The soil at the bottom of these chasms appears to have been washed
down from the plain above by the heavy winter rains, and is fre-
quently cultivated by the Arabs ; so that a person, in walking over
the country where they exist, comes suddenly upon a beautiful
orchard or garden, blooming in secret, and in the greatest luxuriance,
at a considerable depth beneath his feet, and defended on all sides by
walls of solid rocks, so as to be at first sight apparently inaccessible.
The effect of these secluded little spots, protected, as it were, from
the intrusion of mankind by the steepness and the depth of the bar-
riers which inclose them, is singular and pleasing in the extreme :
they reminded us of some of those secluded retreats which we read
of in fairy legends and tales, and we could almost fancy ourselves, as
we looked down upon them, in the situation of some of those fa-
voured knights and princes, the heroes of our earlier days, who have
been permitted to wander over the boundaries of reality into regions
shut out from the rest of mankind.
It was impossible to walk round the edge of these precipices, look-
ing everywhere for some part less abrupt than the rest, by which
we might descend into the gardens beneath, without calling to mind
the description given by Scylax of the far-famed garden of the Hes-
perides.
This celebrated retreat is stated by Scylax to have been an inclosed
spot of about one-fifth of a British mile * across, each way, filled with
* Two stadia is the length and breadth given by Scylax, which, taken as the mean
Grecian stades of Major Rennell, of about ten to a British mile, would give the mea-
surement here stated.
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BENGAZI.
thickly-planted fruit-trees of various kinds, and inaccessible on all
sides. It was situated (on the authority of the same writer) at six
hundred and twenty stadia (or fifty geographical miles) from the
Port of Barce ; and this distance agrees precisely with that of the
places here alluded to from Ptolemeta, the port intended by Scylax,
as will be seen by a reference to the chart. The testimony of Pliny
is also very decided in fixing the site of the Hesperides in the neigh-
bourhood of Berenice. “Not far” (he says) “from the city” (Bere-
nice is here meant) “ is the river Lethon, and the sacred grove where
the gardens of the Hesperides are said to be situated^.” Ptolemy
also may be supposed to intend the same position, when he informs
us, that the garden was to the westward of the people of Barca ; or,
what is the same thing, that the Barcitm were to the eastward of the
garden of Hesperides f.
The name, indeed, itself of Hesperides would induce us to place
the Garden, so called, in the vicinity of Bengazi ; for the Hesperides
were the early inhabitants of that part of the Cyrenaica, and Hespe-
ris, as we have already stated, was the ancient name of the city of
Berenice, on the site of which Bengazi is built, X and which was pro-
bably so called by the Greeks, from the circumstance of its being the
most western city of the district.
* Nec procul ante oppidum fluvius Lethon, lucus sacer, ubi Hesperidum Hoi'ti me-
morantur. — (Nat. Hist., lib. v. c. 5.) Again, in the same book, Berenice — quondam
vocata Hesperidum, &c.
"t" Ba^xirai azso av'xraXm rou ycmTov tcuv 'EjTra/iiJwv.
J BEgsvDtT) V xai 'EdTra^j^sr. — (Ptol. Geogr.) : and as Stephanus describes it, in the
singular, 'EaTragfr, ’iroKis AiSvrif, vov Bcgovijcw.
BENGAZI.
321
It has been supposed by Gosselin* and others, that those cele-
brated gardens of early times (for they are frequently mentioned in
the plural) were nothing more than some of those Oases, or verdant
islands, “ which reared their heads amid the sandy desert and, in
the absence of positive local information, the conjecture was suffi-
ciently reasonable.
The accounts which have come down to us of the desert of Barca,
from the pens of the Arab Historians, would lead us to suppose that
the country so called (which included not only the territory in ques-
tion, with the whole of the Pentapolis and Cyrenaica, but also the
whole tract of coast between Tripoly and Alexandria) was little more
than a barren tract of sand, scarcely capable of cultivation. Under
such an impression, we can readily imagine that modern writers
might be easily deceived ; and when it was necessary to fix the site
of groves and gardens in the country so erroneously described, we
may certainly justify them in looking for such places in the only parts
of a sandy desert where luxuriant vegetation is found, the Oases, or
verdant islands alluded to. “ Objects here presented themselves”
(says the learned and ingenious Author of the Discoveries and
Travels in Africa, in speaking of the western coast of that country,
where the Hesperides have by some writers been placed) “ which
acted powerfully on the exalted and poetical imaginations of the
ancients. They were particularly struck by those Oases, or verdant
islands, which reared their heads amid the sandy desert. Hence,
* Geographic Ancienne ; Murray’s account of Discoveries and Travels in Africa, &c.
322
BENGAZI.
doubtless, were drawn those brilliant pictures of the Hesperian gar-
dens, the Fortunate Islands, the Islands of the Blest, which are
painted in such glowing colours, and form the gayest part of ancient
mythology. The precise position of these celebrated spots has been
a subject of eager and doubtful inquiry. The chief difficulty is, that
there are different points of the continent in which they seem to be
fixed with almost equal precision. In fact, it seems clearly shewn,
by some learned writers*, that this variety of position is referrible,
not to any precise geographical data, but to the operation of certain
secret propensities that are deeply lodged in the human breast.
There arises involuntarily in the heart of man a longing after forms
of being, fairer and happier than any presented by the world before
him — bright scenes which he seeks and never finds, in the circuit of
real existence. But imagination easily creates them in that dim
boundary which separates the known from the unknown world. In
the first discoverers of any such region, novelty usually produces an
exalted state of the imagination and passions ; under the influence
of which every object is painted in higher colours than those of
nature. Nor does the illusion cease, when a fuller examination
proves that, in the place thus assigned, no such beings or objects
exist. The human heart, while it remains possible, still clings to its
fond chimeras : it quickly transfers them to the yet unknown region
beyond ; and, when driven from thence, discovers still another more
remote in which they can take refuge
* Gossellnand Malte Brun.
BENGAZI. 323
Thus we find these fairy spots successively retreating before the
progress of discovery ; yet finding still, in the farthest advance which
ancient knowledge ever made, some remoter extremity to which they
can fly.
“ The first position of the Hesperian gardens” (continues our
author) “ appears to have been at the western extremity of Libya,
then the farthest boundary, upon that side, of ancient knowledge.
The spectacle which it often presented, a circuit of blooming verdure
amid the desert, was calculated to make a powerful impression on
Grecian fancy, and to suggest the idea of quite a terrestrial paradise.
It excited also the image of islands, which ever after adhered to these
visionary creations. As the first spot became frequented, it was soon
stripped of its fabled beauty. So pleasing an idea, however, was not
to be easily relinquished. Another place was quickly found for it ;
and every traveller, as he discovered a new portion of that fertile and
beautiful coast, fondly imagined that he had at length arrived at
the long-sought-for Islands of the Blest. At length, when the con-
tinent had been sought in vain, they were transferred to the ocean
beyond, which the original idea of islands rendered an easy step.
Those of the Canaries having never been passed, nor even fully ex-
plored, continued always to be the Fortunate Islands, not from any
peculiar fehcity of soil and climate, but merely because distance and
imperfect knowledge left full scope to poetical fancy *. Hence we
find Horace painting their felicity in the most glowing colours, and
* Strabo, 1. — Plutarch in Sertorio — Herat. 4. od. 8. v. 27. Epod. 16. Pliny 6 — 6.
C. 31-2.
S T 2
324
BENGAZI.
viewing them as a refuge still left for mortals, from that troubled and
imperfect enjoyment which they were doomed to experience in every
other portion of the globe.” (Murray’s Account of Africa, vol. i.
chap. 1.)
Nothing is more just than the picture of human nature here pre-
sented to us by the intelligent writer just quoted; and it must be
confessed that the position of the Hesperian gardens has been fixed
by different authors in so many parts of the coast of Africa, that we
may scarcely hope to reconcile statements so opposite.
The legends connected with these celebrated places are at the
same time so wild and extravagant, as well as so discordant with each
other, that we might often be tempted to consider the gardens them-
selves as fabulous and imaginary spots, existing only in the creative
brain of the poet and the mythologist, and nowhere to be found in
reality.
We should not, however, say, from our view of the subject, that
“ the variety of position” assigned to the gardens of the Hesperides
“ is referrible to no precise geographical data the details which
we have already quoted from Scylax are too minute to be wholly
rejected ; and the position of the gardens, as laid down by Ptolemy
and Pliny, coincides with that assigned to them by Scylax.
We have shewn, at the same time, that the nature of the ground
in the neighbourhood of Berenice (or Bengazi) is consistent with the
account of Scylax; and that places like those which he has so
minutely described are actually to be found in the territory where
he has laid down the gardens. This singular formation, so far as
BENGAZI.
325
we have seen, is also peculiar to the country in question ; and
we know of no other part of the coast of northern Africa where
the same peculiarities of soil are observable. We do not mean
to point out any one of these subterranean gardens as that which
is described in the passage above quoted from Scylax ; for we know
of no one which will correspond in point of extent to the garden
which this author has mentioned: all those which we saw were
considerably less than the fifth of a mile in diameter (the measure-
ment given by Scylax) ; and the places of this nature which would
best agree with the dimensions in question, are now filled with water
sufficiently fresh to be drinkable, and take the form of romantic little
lakes.
Scarcely any two of the gardens we met with were, however, of
the same depth or extent; and we have no reason to conclude
that because we saw none which were large enough to be fixed upon
for the garden of the Hesperides, as it is described in the state-
ment of Scylax, there is therefore no place of the dimensions
required among those which escaped our notice— particularly as the
singular formation we allude to continues to the foot of the Cyrenaic
chain, which is fourteen miles distant, in the nearest part, from
Bengazi. When we consider that the places in question are all
of them sunk below the surface of the soil, and that the face of
the country in which they are found is overspread with brushwood,
and nowhere perfectly level, it will not be thought extraordinary
if some of them should have escaped us in a diligent and fre-
quently-repeated search. At any rate, under the circumstances which
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BENGAZl.
are already before the reader, it will not be thought a visionary or
hastily formed assumption, if we say that the position of these cele-
brated spots, “ long the subject of eager and doubtful inquiry,”
may be laid down with some probability in the neighbourhood
of the town of Bengazi. The remarkable pecuharities of this
part of northern Africa correspond (in our opinion) sufficiently well
with the authorities already quoted, to authorize the conclusion we
have drawn from an inspection of the place ; and to induce us to
place the gardens of the Hesperides in some one, or more, of the
places described, rather than in any of the Oases of the desert, as
suggested by Monsieur Gosselin and others*. It seems probable
that there were more than one garden of this name ; but they could
scarcely have been all of them so large as that mentioned by Scylax ;
and the greater number of those which we were able to discover were
considerably smaller in all their dimensions, as we have already
stated above.
It has been mentioned that some of the chasms above described
have assumed the form of lakes ; the sides of which are perpendicu-
lar, like those of the gardens, and the water in most of them appears
to be very deep. In some of these lakes the water rises nearly to
the edge of the precipice which incloses them, and in others is as
much as twenty feet below it. They are no doubt much fuller after
* Signor Della Celia has supposed that the passage of Scylax refers to the elevated
parts of the Cyrenaica, and places his gardens of Hesperides in the mountains ; but we
think that a review of the passage in question , combined with the local information which
we have been able to collect on the subject, will authorize us to doubt this position.
BENGAZI.
327
the rainy season than at other times of the year, and the water is
then sweeter than ordinary. Besides these, there are also several
subterranean caves in the neighbourhood of Bengazi. One of these,
at the depth of about eighty feet from the surface of the plain, con-
tains a large body of fresh water, which is said to run very far into
the bowels of the earth, or rather of the rock which overshadows it.
On descending into this cave, we found that it widened out into a
spacious chamber, the sides of which had evidently been, in many
places, shaped with the chisel, and rose perpendicularly to a consi-
derable height. Our progress was soon stopped, as we were advan-
cing into the cave, by the body of water we have mentioned ; which,
notwithstanding the hghts we procured, was scarcely visible through
the thick gloom which surrounded us. We found the water shallow
at the edge, but it soon became gradually too deep to be practica-
ble ; we were also unable to discover any end to it, and a stone
thrown as far as we could send it, fell into the water without striking.
We had, however, seen enough to excite our curiosity very strongly,
and we determined to return, at some early opportunity, with a boat
and a good store of torches, intending to go as far along this subter-
ranean stream as the height of the rock would allow us.
On mentioning our visit and our intentions to Bey Halil, he in-
formed us that he had himself paid a visit to the place, in company
with a chaous of his suite ; and that he had carried with him a
small boat in which he embarked with the chaous, and proceeded a
considerable distance. They became, at length, afraid of not finding
their way back, and put about to return as they came, having found
(as he said) on sounding, that the depth of the water was in some
328
BENGAZI.
parts as much as thirty feet. This account naturally made us more
anxious than ever to put our intentions in execution ; but no boat
could then be found in the harbour sufficiently small for our purpose,
and we were obliged to defer our subterranean voyage ; determining,
however, that if we could not find a portable boat on our return from
Cyrene, we would contrive to put together some pieces of timber,
and prosecute our researches on a raft, after the example of Sindbad
the sailor.
But, alas ! who can say that to-morrow is his own ? — and who is
there who makes the most of to-day ? If we had constructed our raft
before we moved farther eastward, instead of waiting for the chance
of a boat when we came back, we should in all probability have been
able to ascertain the extent of this mysterious river. As it was, we
were obliged, by circumstances which we could neither control nor
foresee, to leave the coast of Africa before we had completed our
researches in the city and neighbourhood of Cyrene ; and the short
time which we had at our command on returning to Bengazi was
insufficient (under the pressure of other occupations) for accomplish-
ing this object of our wishes.
The disappointment here alluded to was only one among many
others which we experienced, in consequence of our hasty and un-
expected return ; but it was one which we regretted more, perhaps,
than it deserved ; for mystery will always add a charm to inquiry,
which further investigation might probably remove, but which will
continue to preserve its powers of fascination while the uncertainty
remains which created it.
We are too well acquainted with the talent of amplification so
BENGAZI.
329
generally possessed by Turks and Arabs of all classes, to rely implicitly
upon the truth of every part of the above-mentioned narrative related
to us by the Eey of Bengazi : there is, however, no reason, of which
we are aware, connected with the nature of the place, which militates
against its probability ; and we submit it accordingly, as we received
it, to our readers, in the absence of more decided information,
AVe have already wandered into the regions of fable in speaking of
the Gardens of the Hesperides ; and before we retrace our steps, we
must be permitted to linger for a while on the borders of the myste-
rious, hidden stream above-mentioned.
The Lethe, or Lathon, (for it is no less a stream to which we are
going to call the attention of our readers,) is laid down by geogra-
phers in the neighbourhood of the gardens, and close to the city of
the Hesperides.
Strabo makes the Lathon flow into the harbour of the Hesperides,
and Ptolemy also lays down the same river between Berenice and
Arsinoe ; Pliny describes the Lathon as situated in the neighbour-
hood of Berenice, and Scylax places a river (which he calls Ecceus,
Ekzsio?) in a similar situation. The river Lethe is supposed to have
lost itself underground, and to re-appear (like the Niger) in another
place* ; and the point to which we would call the attention of the
* Here Lethe’s streams, from secret springs below.
Rise to the light ; here heavily, and slow,
The silent, dull, forgetful waters flow.
(Rowe’s Lucan, book ix, p. 209.)
Lucan places his Lethe and Hesperian Gardens in the neighbourhood of the Lake
Tiitonis, in the Lesser Syrtis; but the western part of the Cyrenaica is the most ap-
proved position for both. See also Solinus on this point.
330
BENGAZL
reader is — ^whether the subterranean stream above-mentioned, which
certainly may be said to lose itself underground, be the source of the
Lethe, or Lathon, in question ? and whether a small spring, which
runs into the lake near the town of Bengazi, may be supposed to be
the re-appearance of the same river, in the place so decidedly
assigned to it by Strabo — the port of the Hesperides, or, which is the
same, of Berenice.
The circumstance of finding a subterranean stream in this neigh-
bourhood, between the mountains and the lake which joins the Har-
bour of Bengazi, would certainly appear to favour the conclusion, that
the course of the stream was towards the lake, that is to say, from
the higher ground to the lower. And although the mere discovery
of a small stream of fresh water emptying itself into the lake here
alluded to, does not by any means tend to confirm the existence of a
communication between it and the subterranean stream in question;
yet thei’e is no proof (at least, not that we are aware of) that one of
these is not connected with the other. At the same time we may
add, that if it were really ascertained that no connexion existed
between the two, such a circumstance would not be considered as
proving that the ancients did not suppose that they communicated.
It was believed by the Greeks (or, at any rate, it was asserted by
them) that the Alpheus communicated with the fountain of Arethusa,
and that anything thrown into the former at Elis would re-appear
on the waters of the latter in Sicily.
Other instances might be mentioned of similar extravagancies,
which are considered by the moderns as poetical inventions, and
BENGAZI.
331
never received as historical facts. The disappearance of the Lathon,
and its subsequent rise, might have been equally a poetical fiction ;
but when we find, in the country in which it was placed, a large
body of water which actually loses itself, we are naturally led to believe
one part of the assertion, and to seek to identify the actual subterra-
nean stream with that which is said to have existed. On a refer-
ence to the authority of geographers and historians, we find a
river called Lathon laid down very clearly in the place where this
body of water is found, and we remark that the name which
they apply to the river signifies hidden or concealed. So far there
is a probabihty that the Lathon of the ancients and the subter-
ranean stream in the neighbourhood of Bengazi may be one and
the same river.
Again, we are told, on the authority of Strabo, that the Lathon
discharged itself into the Harbour of the Hesperides ; and w e find a
small spring actually running into the lake which is connected with
the harbour in question ; and which might, from the position of the
subterranean spring between it and the mountains to the southward
of it, have received at least a portion of the waters, which lose them-
selves in a place where the level is higher. When we find that the
Lathon (or hidden stream) of Bengazi is directly between the moun-
tains and the harbour, it becomes the more probable that such a
communication may have existed ; and whether the little spring
which runs into the lake be a continuation of the Lathon or not,
there appears to be quite sufficient reason for believing that the
ancients might have imagined it was. If we consider how trifling
2 U 2
332
BENGAZI.
are the existing remains of the Ilissus, the Simois, the Scamander,
and other rivers, to which we have been in the habit of attaching im-
portance, we must not be surprised to find a celebrated stream
dwindled down into a very insignificant one. The changes which
a lapse of nearly two thousand years may be supposed to have occa-
sioned on the northern coast of Africa, are fully sufficient to have
reduced the river Lathon to the spring which now flows into the
Lake of Bengazi.
The lake itself is salt, and in the summer is nearly dry ; while the
small stream in question takes its rise within a few yards of the lake,
and running along a channel of inconsiderable breadth, bordered
with reeds and rushes, might be mistaken by a common observer for
an inroad of the lake into the sandy soil which bounds it.
On tasting it, however, we found its waters to be fresh, and the
current which is formed by its passage into the lake is very evident
on the slightest examination.
If we may suppose this little stream to be aU that now remains of
the celebrated Kiver of Oblivion, we shall be enabled to throw light
upon a passage in Strabo which has hitherto been the subject of
much discussion.
It has been questioned by commentators, whether Strabo intended
to make the river Lathon discharge itself into the lake, or into the
jiort of the Hesperides ; and the near resemblance which the words
(limen) and Xipuvri (limne), the former of which means a port, and
the latter a lake, do certainly bear to each other, will allow of their
being confounded in transcribing, by the mere transposition of a
BENGAZI.
333
single letter*. Without reference to the authority of the most ap-
proved manuscripts, we may observe, on that only of local inspection,
that either of these words would be correct. It has already been
stated that the Harbour of Bengazi communicates with a salt-water
lake, and it is probable that in Strabo’s time the vessels of the an-
cients might have passed from one into the other. The harbour and
the lake might in that event be considered without any impropriety
as the same. It is into this lake that the small stream discharges
itself which w^e have alluded to above, and if we can suppose it to be
the remains of the Lathon, the statement of Strabo may be considered
as confirmed by the actual appearance of the place. If, however, we
are disposed to be sceptical on this point, we must give up the river
altogether, or, at least, we must give up the re-appearance of it in the
lake and in the Harbour of Hesperis, or Berenice ; for no other
spring, that we are aware of, flows either into one or the other. It
is probable that was the word used by Strabo, and it seems also
probable that he intended to imply, that the harbour and the lake he
calls Tritonis, on which stood the temple of Venus, were the same ; at
least, in reading the whole of the passage together, we can scarcely
divest ourselves of this idea f .
* E(Tti Jh xai Xi/xnv 'E'ttte^iSwv, k'zi Trorapoof e/xQaXXsi Aat&wv. (Lib. 17. p. 836.)
Some of the Commentators read and Cellarius says on this subject—
‘ Est et de exitu fluminis dubitatio, in quod se infundat, in mare an in lacum. Straboni
est in quern Lathon effluit. Vetus autem interpres iterum dissentit, et
quasi Xipt,™ legerit, lacus vertit Hesperidum. Videant (he adds) quibus vel regionem co-
gnoscendi, vel inspiciendi antiques codices, facultas est. (Lib. iv. c. ii.)
h E<m Ss axgfl! XEyopcEvn 'Psi/So^Eviar, E(p’ v>s ri BEgEvixn rnv eXpEi, Tiaqz Xiptvnv Tivst
T§tTo/nSa, Ev 7) (/.aXiarx vtjo-jov eitti, xai is^ov AipgoSiTvs- sv avrco’ euti Se xai Xiptnv Eutte^iScdv,
XXI TTorafxos E/xfaXXEi Aa&wv.
334
BENGAZI.
It may be, however, that the nature of the place, rather than the
construction of the passage in question, has in fact suggested this
reading to us : for on the borders of the lake, which still communi-
cates with the Harbour of Bengazi, is a spot of rising ground, nearly
insulated in winter, on which are the remains of ancient building ;
and which, at the time when the harbour vras deeper, and the lake
itself practicable for vessels must have been (occasionally, at least)
completely surrounded with water. Here then might have stood
the temple of Venus mentioned in the passage above, and the intro-
duction of the word f^aXia-rcx, by Strabo (taken in the sense of mostly,
or generally), in speaking of the island in question, would seem to
confirm this position.
Berenice (he tells us) is placed on the Point of Pseudopenias, near
a certain lake called Tritonis, in which there is mostly an island (su n
(j^Xicrra, vri(riov g<rr<), with a temple Upon it dedicated to Venus. We
may remark, in support of this supposition, that it is probable, from
the position of the rising ground alluded to, that it was not at all
times surrounded by water ; and that it was only in the winter sea-
son, or at times when the sea advanced farther than ordinary, that it
was completely an island.
We may suppose, in receiving this island as the one mentioned by
Strabo, that the circumstance just stated was alluded to by the
geographer, when he informs us that there was usually an island in
the lake ; but we do not mean to insist upon this reading of the pas-
sage in question, and will confess, that it would probably never have
* We have already assumed, upon reasonable grounds, that this was probably the case
in earlier times.
BENGAZI.
335
suggested itself to us had we never visited Eengazi ; it must there-
fore be left to the discretion of our readers, to adopt it or not, as it
may seem to deserve, on a reference to the local peculiarities we have
mentioned.
With regard to the name of Tritonis, bestowed upon the lake in
this passage, it is difficult to say whether the lake which Strabo men-
tions was actually called by that name ; or whether the geographer
has confounded it with the Tritonis Palus (the Lake Lowdeah of
Shaw), situated in the Lesser Syrtis, and which also contained an
island, according to Herodotus.
But whatever may have been the proper name of the lake at Bere-
nice which we seek to identify with the Tritonis of Strabo, it appears
to us to answer remarkably well to the lake of that name which he
mentions. We will therefore suggest, that the Tritonis in question
and the lake which now communicates with the Harbour of Bengazi,
are one and the same lake : that it was originally deep enough to
admit the vessels of the ancients, and to have formed occasionally the
island containing the temple of Venus, on the spot of rising ground
already pointed out, where remains of ancient building are still obser-
vable : that a small spring of fresh water run« into the same lake
which may possibly be the remains of the Lathon of Strabo, at its
point of re-appearance and communication with the Harbour of the
Hesperides ; and that the subterranean stream in the cavern between
the lake and the mountains, which we have mentioned above, may also
be the source of this river. When we add, that the gardens upon
which we have remarked, are probably some of those called the Gar-
336
BENGAZI.
dens of the Hesperides, we have pointed out all that now' occurs to
us of any interest in the neighbourhood of the town of Bengazi ; and
we submit these suggestions to the judgment of others better qua-
lified than ourselves to decide the points in question.
It appears to have been from Berenice, the daughter of Magas,
who was married to Ptolemy Philadelphus, that the city of Hes-
peris changed its ancient name into that which afterwards dis-
tinguished it But the name of Berenicidm, which seems to have
been conferred upon the inhabitants of this part of the Cyrenaica, was
not by any means generally adopted ; for we find that these people
continued notwithstanding to be called by their former appellation
of Hesperides. It is, however, somewhat singular that Pomponius
Mela, wBo flourished towards the middle of the first century, and
nearly a hundred years after the extinction of the dynasty of the
Lagides, should have mentioned this city under its ancient name of
Hesperis only ; while he gives its Ptolemaic name, Arsinoe, to
Teuchira, and distinguishes the port of Barca by its appellation of
Ptolemaisf. Yet the name of Berenice continued to be used by
other writers long after the age of Mela ; and Pliny, who flourished
nearly at the same time with this geographer, mentions the city of
the Hesperides by that title. It is probable that a name of such poeti-
cal celebrity as that which gave place to Berenice was not easily laid
aside by the lovers of literature ; and we find that Ptolemy thought
* B£|sv()ciSai alia Bs^evmss rm Mayas' huyotn^os, yuvMx.os 5s kou TlroXEf/.MQv, <uvo/xa6r)>jav
BsgsvDtiSai 01 S'«pi.oTai. (Steph. Byzant. ■v.)
t Urbes Hesperia, Apollonia, Ptolemais, Arsinoe, atque (unde terris nomen est)
ipsa Gyrene. (De Situ Orbis, Lib. i. c. 8.)
BENGAZI.
337
it necessary, an hundred years after Mela, to add, when he speaks of
the city of Berenice, that it was the same with that of Ilesperis, or,
as he writes it, Hesperides* ; from which we may infer that the
ancient name of the place still continued to be better known than the
modern one. But alas for the glories of Hesperis and Berenice !
both names have passed away from the scene of their renown ; and
the present inhabitants of the miserable dirty village, (for we can
scarcely call it a town,) which has reared itself on the ruins of these
cities, have no idea that Bengazi did not always occupy the place
which it has usurped on the soil of the Hesperides f .
The Arab who now gathers his corn, or his fruit, in some
one, perhaps, of those gardens so celebrated in the annals of anti-
quity, dreams of nothing whatever connected with it beyond the
profits which he hopes from its produce. He knows nothing of the
stream or the properties of the Lethe ; and the powerful influence
of the Biver of Oblivion seems to have been so often, and so success-
fully exerted, as to have drowned at length even the recollection of
itself
* Be^svinn, 'h Kat’KcTrs^i^ss-.
t The name of Berenice is mentioned by Edrisi as remaining in his time in this part of
Africa ; but we never could find any traces of the name, though we often inquired for
it of the Arabs of the country, as well as of the inhabitants of Bengazi.
J The changes which time may be supposed to effect in the character and appearance
of a country, are well expressed in the following little fable of Kazwini, translated from
the Arabic by Silvestre de Sacy.
“ I passed by a very large and populous city, and inquired of one of its inhabitants
by whom it was founded. Oh, replied the man, this is a very ancient city ! we have
no idea how long it may have been in existence ; and our ancestors were on this point
338
BENGAZI.
as ignoi'ant as ourselves. In visiting the same place five hundred years afterwards,
I could not perceive a single trace of the city ; and asked of a countryman, whom I saw
cutting clover, where it stood, and how long it had been destroyed. What nonsense are
you asking me ? said the person whom I addressed : these lands have never been any
otherwise than you see them. Why, returned I, was there not formerly here a magnifi-
cent and populous city ? — We have never seen one, replied the man, and our fathers
have never mentioned to us anything of the kind,
“ Five hundred years afterwards, as I passed by the spot, I found that the sea had
covered it ; and, perceiving on the beach a party of fishermen, I asked them how long
it had been ovei'flowed.
“ It is strange, answered they, that a person of your appearance should ask us such a
question as this ; for the place has been at all times e.\actly as it is now. What, said I,
was there not at one time dry land in the spot where the sea is at present ? — Certainly
not, that we know of, answered the fishermen, and we never heard our fathers speak of
any such circumstance.
“ Again, I passed by the place, after a similar lapse of time, — the sea had disappeared —
and I inquired of a man whom I met at what period this change had taken place. He made
me the same answer as the others had done before — and, at length, on returning once more
to the place, after the lapse of another five hundred years, I found that it was occupied
by a flourishing city, more populous, and more rich in magnificent buildings, than that
which I had formerly seen ! When I inquired of its inhabitants concerning its origin, I
was told that it lost itself in the darkness of antiquity ! We have not the least idea, they
said, when it was founded, and our forefathers knew no more of its oi’igin than ourselves !”
— (Chrestomathie Arabe, vol.iii. p. 419.)
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BENGAZI.
339
CHAPTER XII.
Remarks on the Soil of Bengazi and the Country in its Neighbourhood — Distinction of Sex
-A in the Palm-tree, &c., noticed by the Ancients and by Mahometan Writers — Persian Anec-
dote of a Love-sick Date-tree — Remarks of Shaw on the Propagation and Treatment of the
Palm— Arab Mode of cultivating the Sandy Tracts in the Neighbourhood of Bengazi—
Journey to Carcora — Completion of the Coast-line from that Place to Bengazi — Return to
Bengazi, and Departure for Teuchira and Ptolemeta — Description of the Country between
Bengazi and these Places — Remains observable in this Track — Correspondence of the Tower
called Gusser el Towel with that of Cafez, mentioned by Edrisi — Probable Site of Adriane
— Arrival at Birsis — Remains in its neighbourhood, at Mably (or Mabny), considered as
those of Neapolis— Hospitality of the Arabs of Birsis — Remains of Teuchira— Position of
the City— Quarries without the Walls covered with Greek Inscriptions— Teuchira a Town
of Barca — Walls of the City repaired by Justinian — No Port observable at Teuchira Mis-
take of Bruce in confounding Teuchira with Ptolemeta — Good Supply of fresh Water at
Teuchira The excavated Pombs of the ancient City used as Dwelling-houses by the
Arabs of the Neighbourhood — Indisposition of our Chaous (or Janissary) — Route from Teu-
chira to Ptolemeta— Remains at Ptolemeta— Port and Cothon of the ancient City— Other
Remains observable there — Ptolemaic Inscriptions — Picturesque Ravines in the Neighbour-
hood of Ptolemeta — Position of the City — Remains of Bridges observed there — Advantages
of its Site — Extreme Drought at Ptolemeta, recorded by Procopius — Reparation of the Aque-
ducts and Cisterns by the Emperor Justinian — Existing Remains of an extensive Cistern at
Ptolemeta, probably among those alluded to by Procopius— State of the Town, its Solitude
and Desolation— Luxuriant Vegetation which encumbered its Streets when the Place was
first visited by our Party — Change of Scene on returning to it in Summer-time.
The soil of the Hesperides does not now produce that variety of
fruit which we find that it did in the days of its prosperity * ; but
the palm and the fig-tree still flourish there in great abundance, and
it is merely from the want of attention, and not from any actual
* Vide Scylax, Theophrastus, and others.
2X2
340
BENGAZL,
change in the soil itself, that it does not afford the same variety as
formerly *.
The fruit of the palm-tree forms too essential a part of Arab food
to allow of the necessary precautions being neglected for insuring
the growth and the ripening of dates ; but the fig-trees are for the
most part wild, and produce only, a diminutive fruit, which never
comes to any perfection. It is a well-known fact in natural history,
that “ these trees are male and female, and that the fruit will be dry
and insipid without a previous communication with the male.”
This pecuharity was discovered at a very early period, and has been
noticed by writers of various ages with much perspicuity and detail.
There appears to have been but little variation at any time in the
mode of performing these operations ; and the manner in which the
palm-tree is described, by Pliny, to have been impregnated, is the
same with that which prevails in the present day.
A part of the blossom from the male tree is either attached to the
fruit of the female ; or the powder from the blossoms of the male is
shaken over those which the female produces. The first of these
methods is practised in Barbary, (one male being sufficient, as Shaw
has observed, to impregnate four or five hundred female) ; and the
latter is common in Egypt, where the number of male trees is
* Signor Della Celia has remarked (p. 185,) that there are a few palm-trees in the
neighbourhood of Bengazi, and a tract or two of land sowed with barley (“alcune palme,
e qualche tratto seminato col orzo” — ) all tlie rest is (he tells us) neglected and unculti-
vated. But there are a great many palm-trees in the neighbourhood of Bengazi, on both
sides of the harbour, and a great proportion of cultivated land.
BENGAZI.
341
greater*. Both these methods are described by Pliny, (Hist. I^at.
lib. xiii.) and the whole account which is there given of the palm-
tree and its several varieties is extremely accurate and interesting.
The attachment of this tree to a sandy and nitrous soil, and its par-
tiality at the same time for water ; its inability to thrive in any other
» than a dry and hot climate, its peculiar foliage and bark, and the
decided distinction of sex which is observable in it, are all men-
tioned in detail by the Koman naturalist.
The remarks of Arab writers on the distinction of sex in the palm-
tree are nearly the same with those of Pliny ; and a most extraordi-
nary confirmation of it will be found in a Persian anecdote quoted by
Silvestre de Sacy ; from which it will clearly appear that an unre-
quited and secret attachment to a neighbouring date-tree had nearly
caused the death of a too-susceptible female palm !
* The following is the process mentioned by Shaw. — “ In the months of March or
April, when the sheaths that respectively enclose the young clusters of the male flowers
and the female fruit begin to open (at which time the latter are formed and the first
are mealy), they take a sprig or two of the male cluster, and insert it into the sheath of
the female ; or else they take a whole cluster of the male tree, and sprinkle the meal, or
farina of it over several clusters of the female.” (Travels in Barbary, vol. i., p. 259-60).
The same author remarks that the palm-tree arrives at its greatest vigour about thirty
years after transplantation, and continues so seventy years afterwards ; bearing yearly
fifteen or twenty clusters of dates, each of them weighing fifteen or twenty pounds^.
“ Si parmi les palmiers (says the author of a treatise on agriculture quoted by Kazwini,
in the words of Silvestre de Sacy), “ Si parmi les palmiers on rapproche les individus
males des individus femelles, ces derniers portent des fruits en plus grande abundance,
“ Shaw has observed that “the method of raising the Phmnix (foml) or palm, and, what may be further
observed, that when the old trunk dies, there is never wanting one or other of those offsprings to succeed it,
may have given occasion to the fable of the bird of that name dying and another arising from it."
(So Pliny, lib. xiii. c. 4.) Mirumqtie de ea accepimus cum phoenice ave quse putatur ex hujus palmse
argumento nomen acccpisse, emori ac renasci ex seipsa.
342
BENGAZl.
Osmai relates (says the story in question) that an inhabitant of
Yemama, a province in Arabia, once made him the following recital.
“ I was possessor of a garden in which was a palm-tree, which had
every year produced me abundance of fruit ; but two seasons having
passed away, without its affording any, I sent for a person well ac-
quainted with the culture of palms, to discover for me the reason of
this failure. “ An unhappy attachment” (observed the man, after a
moment’s inspection) “ is the sole cause why this palm-tree produces
no fruit !” He then climbed up the trunk, and, looking round on all
sides, discovered a male palm at no great distance, which he recog-
nised as the object of my unlucky tree’s affection ; and advised me
to procure some of the powder from its blossoms, and to scatter it
over her branches. This I did (said the Arab,) and the consequence
was, that my date-tree, whom unrequited love had kept barren, now
bore me a most abundant harvest !”
The value of the palm-tree is not generally appreciated in Europe,
but it is highly prized in Asia and Africa. The followers of Maho-
met (as appears from Kazwini) believe it to be peculiar to those fa-
voured countries where the religion of the Prophet is professed.
“ Honour the palm-tree,” (says this writer, in the words of Mahomet
himself,) “ for she is your father’s aunt and this distinction (he tells
us) was given to it, because the tree was formed from the remainder
parceque le voisinage favorise leurs amours ; et si, au contraire, on feloigne I’arbre femelle
des males, cette distance empeche qui'il ne rapporte aucun fruit. Quand on plante un
palmier male au milieu des femelles, et que, le vent venant a souffler, les femelles re-
solvent I’odeur des fleurs du male, cette odeur suffit pour rendre feconds tons les pal-
miers femelles qui environnent le mdle.
BENGAZI.
343
of the clay of which Adam was created ! It is propagated chiefly (as
Shaw has informed us) from young shoots taken from the roots of
full-grown trees, which, if well transplanted and taken care of, will
yield their fruit in the sixth or seventh year ; whereas those that are
raised immediately from the kernels will not bear till about their six-
teenth. Nothing further is necessary to the culture of the palm-
tree, than that it should be well watered once in four or five days,
and that a few of the lower boughs should be lopped away whenever
they begin to droop or wither. “ These” (observes Shaw), “ whose
stumps, or polhces, in being thus gradually left upon the trunk,
serve, like so many rounds of a ladder, to climb up the tree, either
to fecundate it, to lop it, or to gather the fruit, are quickly supplied
with others which hang down from the crown or top, contributing
not only to the regular and uniform growth of this tall, knotless,
beautiful tree, but hkewise to its perpetual and most delightful ver-
dure. To be exalted (Eccles. xxiv. 14.) or to flourish like the palm-
tree, are as just and proper expressions, suitable to the nature of this
plant, as to spread abroad like the Cedar*!' — (Psalm xcii. 11.)
* The palm-tree, however, though a beautiful tree, is sometimes, it appears, a very
obstinate one ; and the means which we are told, on Arab authority, should be used to
render it more docile on these occasions would astonish the horticulturists of Europe-^
When a palm-tree refuses to bear (says the Arab author of a treatise on agriculture),
the owner of it, armed with a hatchet, comes to visit it in company with another person.
He then begins by observing aloud to his friend (in order that the date-tree should hear
him) “ I am going to cut down this worthless tree, since it no longer bears me any fruit.”
— “ Have a care what you do, brother, returns his companion ; I should advise you to do
no such thing — for I will venture to predict that this very year your tree will be covered
with fruit.” “ No, no, (replies the owner,) 1 am detei-mined to cut it down, for I am
344
BENGAZI.
In the immediate neighbourhood of the palm-trees above men-
tioned (we mean those to the N.E. of Bengazi) are the sand-hills,
which form (together with the date-trees) the most remarkable ob-
jects on this part of the coast. The occasional mixture of a little
manure with the sand, and the decay of vegetable matter, have con-
tributed to produce at the foot of these hills a very excellent soil ;
portions of which are inclosed witliin hedges of the prickly-pear and
aloe, and near them may be seen a few miserable huts, the abodes of
the several proprietors. The chief produce of these little gardens
may be stated to be — melons and pumpkins of several kinds, melon-
zani, or egg-plants, cucumbers, tomatas, red and green peppers, and
some few of the plants called bamia.
The sand itself, with a little labour, is also made to produce very
abundantly ; so much so, that any one who had seen the place only
in the summer time, would scarcely recognise it as the same in the
winter season, when covered with luxuriant vegetation. The right
of cultivation appears to be general ; and a piece of ground may be
said to belong to the first person who takes the trouble of inclosing
and working it. This, in fact, is no more than just; since the culti-
certain it will produce me nothing;” and then approaching the tree, he proceeds to give
it two or three strokes with his hatchet. — “ Pi'ay now! I entreat you, desist” (says the
mediator, holding back the arm of the proprietor) — “ Do but observe what a fine tree it
IS, and have patience for this one season more ; should it fail after that to bear you any
fruit, you may do with it just Avhat you please.” The owner of the tree then allows him-
self to be persuaded, and retires without proceeding to any further extremities. But
the threat, and the few strokes inflicted with the hatchet, have always, it is said, the de-
sired effect ; and the terrified palm-tree produces the same year a most abundant supply
of fine dates I ! 1 (Extract from Kazwini, Chr6stomathie Ai’abe, tom. iii. p. 319.)
BENGAZI.
345
vated tracts, in this part of the plain, are merely so many portions
rescued from the sandy waste by the industry of the individuals who
select them ; and must therefore be considered as so many additions
made by the original occupiers to the general stock *,
The first care of the cultivator is to turn up the sand, and
spread layers of faggots underneath: the sand is then replaced,
and over it is sometimes spread a mixed stratum of sand and
manure.
Upon this the seeds are sown, and care is taken to keep the land
irrigated by means of numerous wells of a few feet only in depth.
Some of these are built round with rough stones, but the water is
always brackish, and occasionally stinking, owing to the quantity of
decayed roots, and other vegetable matter, with which they are suf-
fered to be clogged. By the adoption of this short and simple pro-
cess, the sand is soon rendered so productive, that the Arabs prefer
cultivating it, to the trouble of clearing the rich soil beyond it, to the
southward, of the broken stones and fragments of building with
which it is thickly interspersed.
When the rains had subsided, and the health of Lieutenant
Beechey (which had latterly prevented him from travelling) allowed
of it, we set out on our journey to Carcora ; in order to complete
that part of the coast which had been left unfinished between Car-
* The sandy tract here alluded to is merely formed by deposites from the beach, and
extends scarcely half a mile inland ; the country beyond it, all the way to the mountains, ,
is a mixture of rock and excellent soil, with no sand whatever, and is for the most part,
as we have mentioned, well wooded and covered with vegetation.
346
BENGAZI.
cora and Bengazi : two of our party had before made a trip, along
the coast, to Ptolemeta, and returned in high spirits with what they
had met with in that dehghtful part of the Pentapolis. On our
route to Carcora we had been very much annoyed with a violent and
parching sirocco wind, the heat of which would have been sufficiently
disagreeable and oppressive, without the extreme annoyance of thick
clouds of sand, whirling everywhere in eddies about us, which were
driven with such force into our eyes as almost to prevent our making
use of them.
Having completed the unfinished part of the coast-fine, we re-
turned back to Bengazi, and found everything prepared for our jour-
ney to the eastward, through the diligence and activity of Lieutenant
Coffin, who had been left at Bengazi for that purpose. During our
absence at Carcora, Bey Halil had left the town, and pitched his tents
in the fine plain of Merge, a large tract of table-land on the top of
the mountains which bound Teuchira and Ptolemeta to the south-
ward. The object of his journey was to collect the tribute from the
neighbouring Bedouin tribes, and this is generally a work of much
time and trouble, without which the contribution would not be paid
at all. We had previously arranged with him that Hadood, Shekh
of Barka, should have camels in readiness (on our return from Car-
cora) to carry our tents and baggage to the westward ; but finding
they had not arrived, we with difficulty procured others, and set out
from Bengazi on the seventeenth of April for Teuchira, Ptolemeta,
and Cyren6.
The road from Bengazi to Teuchira and Ptolemeta lies through a
BENGAZI.
347
very fertile and beautiful country, though a comparatively small por-
tion of it only is cultivated. It may be described as a plain, thickly
covered with wood and flowering shrubs, stretching itself from the
sea to the foot of the mountains which form the northern hmits of
the Cyrenaica, and narrowing every mile as you advance towards Pto-
lemeta, where the mountains run down very close to the sea. We have
already stated that the space between this range and Bengazi is
about fourteen geographic miles ; and the distance between it and
the sea, at Ptolemeta, is no more than a mile, or a mile and a half ;
the whole length of the plain, from Bengazi to Ptolemeta, being fifty-
seven geographic miles. The sides of the mountains are also thickly
clothed with wood, chiefly pine, of various kinds, and the juniper is
found in great quantities among the other shrubs which overspread
them.
Ravines, whose sides are equally covered with wood and verdure,
cross the road very frequently, in their course from the mountains to
the sea ; and most of these, as there is nothing hke a bridge over
any of them, must be nearly impassable in winter. The force
with which the water rushes down the ravines in the rainy season
is evident from the slightest inspection ; the ground being furrowed
and torn up in the parts which form the beds of the torrents, and
encumbered with trees and stones of various sizes, washed down from
the mountains and from the sides of the ravines. Open spaces are
occasionally met with in the woods, some of which are of consi-
derable extent ; these were probably once cultivated, but are
now thickly covered with grasses of various kinds, among which we
2 Y 2
348
BENGAZI.
often observed a great proportion of oats produced spontaneously
from the soil*.
Several towers of very solid construction are scattered over this
plain in various directions ; and one of them will be found to corre-
spond very well with that called Cafez, by Edrisi. It is situated at
about the same distance (four miles) from the sea ; and has likewise a
wood to the eastward of it, as he mentions j-. It may be reckoned at
fifteen miles from Bengazi, and not far from it, also to the eastward,
are the lakes described by Edrisi in the neighbourhood of Cafez,
separated, exactly as he mentions, from the sea by ridges of sand, and
running along parallel with the beach The water of these lakes is
stated by Edrisi to be sweet, but it is certainly, in the present day,
brackish. The Arab name of one of these (Zeiana, or Aziana) would
seem to point out the neighbourhood of Adriana, laid down by Cel-
larius between Berenice and Arsinoe, or Teuchira ; and many ground-
plans of buildings, chiefly dwelling-houses, may be observed at the
distance of about three-quarters of a mile from the lake, which pro-
bably occupy the site of that town.
* A species of wild artichoke is also very commonly found here, which is eaten raw
by the Arabs ; chiefly however for amusement, as we see raw turnips eaten in other
countries.
t See the plan of this tower. It is called by the Arabs Gusser-el-toweel — the high
tower — and is seen from a considerable distance.
^ Cafez autem est turris sita in media planitie Bernic, habetque ad latus suum orien-
tale sylvam propinquam mari, et ipsa distat a mari IV. M.P. Non procul etiam a Cafez,
ex parte orientali adest lacus cum longitudine maris porrectus, et collis arenae ab eo divi-
sus, cujus tamen aquae dulces sunt ; occupat hie sua longitudine XIV. Milliaria, latitu-
dine medium fere milliare. — (Geog. Nubiensis, p. 93.)
BENGAZI.
349
At sunset, on the second day, we arrived at Birsis, where there are
a number of wells, and mutilated fragments of building, of which it
would be impossible to make any satisfactory plan, without a great deal
of previous excavation. Birsis occupies a very fertile plain, where there
is usually an Arab encampment, and is distant about thirty-one miles
from Bengazi, and seven from the city of Teuchira. It is five or six
miles from the Cyrenaic range, and about a mile and a half from the
sea. A little to the S.W. of Birsis, are other remains of building, which
assume a more decided character, and appear to have formed part of a
town. Several arched door- ways are still remaining, and some of the
walls of the houses are standing, to the height of about ten or twelve
feet from the present level. The spot on which they stand is now
much overgrown with high grass and shrubs of various kinds, and the
buildings have been occasionally added-to by the Arabs ; so that it
requires a good deal of attention to make out their original plans.
We were cautioned by the natives, who saw us making our way
through the high grass and bushes which encumber the ruins, to
beware of the serpents, which they said were very numerous in the
place ; we, however, saw no more than two, one of a dark colour, about
five feet in length, and another of smaller dimensions. The Arab name
for this place is Mabny, and Mably (as we heard it pronounced by
different persons residing on the spot) ; and appears to be a corrup-
tion of Napoli, or Neapolis, with no other change than might reason-
ably be expected from the pecuharities of Arab pronunciation *.
* The M is frequently pronounced by the Arabs instead of N ; and the B always for
the P, a sound which they have not in their language; the L and the N are also often
350
BENGAZI.
Neapolis is, however, laid down by Ptolemy between the cities of
Teuchira and Ptolemeta; and Mably (or Mabny) is seven or eight
miles to the S.W. of the former of these places ; so that it will not
correspond in position with the city which its name appears to indi-
cate. We may at the same time observe, that in the position as-
signed by Ptolemy to Neapolis we could perceive no remains which
were indicative of a town; that we know of no town, described
under another name, as occupying the site of Mably; and that
the resemblance of that appellation to Nably, which would be the
Arab pronunciation of Neapolis, is too close to be wholly over-
looked.
Between Birsis and the sea (from which we have already said it is
distant about a mile and a half) are the remains of two towers, occu-
pying the summit of a range of sand-hills on the beach, and which
we were unable to visit, in consequence of the marsh which runs
along the foot of the range, and separates it from the cultivated land.
The country about Birsis and Mably is highly productive, wherever
it is cultivated, and agreeably diversified with shrubs and brushwood,
among which are a few fig-trees. The plain is here about six miles
in breadth (from the sea to the foot of the mountains) ; and its gene-
ral appearance, as the Arab tents were seen to rear themselves
among the low wood and cultivated lands in which they were
confounded by them, as we find them to be frequently by the natives of other coun-
tries.
The Neapolis here mentioned must not be confounded with that which has been iden-
tified with Leptis Magna.
BENGAZI.
351
pitched, was highly indicative of what one might imagine of patri-
archal comfort and tranquillity*. We found the Arabs very hospi-
table and obliging, and one of our party, who had strayed from the
rest, and taken shelter at night-fall in one of their tents, was re-
ceived and entertained with great kindness and liberahty ; a sheep
having been killed expressly for his supper, and the wmmen of the
family employed for two hours in preparing it, in the most savoury
manner with which they were acquainted. While the mutton was
occupying the united attention of the most accomplished cooks of
the household, (the mother, one of the wives, and the two eldest
daughters of the host) another wife had prepared a large dish of
barley-cakes and fried onions, over which was poured some hot
melted butter: a great portion of this very speedily disappeared
before the repeated attacks of the hungry guest, whose appetite for
the savoury meat which was afterwards served up to him was not
quite so great as the dish deserved; the skill of the young wife who
had cooked the first mess was in consequence highly commended by
her spouse, who could no otherwise account for the great portion of
meat which was left, than by supposing that the first dish was most
* As we repassed the same plain in J uly, many heaps of corn and barley were col-
lected in various parts of it, and the greater part of the verdure had disappeared. We
found the oxen of the place very busily employed in treading out the grain, in the good
old-fashioned way practised before the invention of flails ; while the Arabs, availing
themselves of a little breeze of wind, were occupied in tossing up the grain into the air
which had been already trodden out, in order to separate it from the husks, after the
manner often alluded to in Scripture. Among other instances of this allusion, we may
mention the fragments of Nebuchadnezzar’s image, which are compared in Daniel (ii. 25.)
to “ the chaff of the summer threshing-floor carried away by the wind.”
352
BENGAZI.
to the stranger’s taste; never dreaming that a pound of dough,
besides butter and onions, could in any way tend to diminish a
man’s appetite.
Six miles beyond Birsis (in a north-easterly direction) are re-
mains of a much more imposing nature than any which we had
hitherto beheld. They are those of an ancient city, completely
inclosed within walls of uncommon strength and thickness, which
are connected at intervals by quadrangular towers, and entered by
two strongly-built gateways, placed opposite to each other on the
east and west sides of the city. The town of Teuchira (for it is that
to which we allude) is situated close to the sea, which, in this part of
the plain, is distant about four miles from the foot of the mountains.
A part of the town, as well as of the walls, is built upon a rising
ground, and the rest is on a level with the plain ; one portion of it
(to the westward) has been built round a quarry, and what appears
to have been the citadel is also constructed on the edge of another
quarry to the eastward, which considerably strengthens its position.
Without the walls on both sides of the town (we mean on the
east and west sides) are also very extensive quarries, in which the
tombs of the early inhabitants of the place have at various periods
been constructed In these, as well as on the inner part of the
city walls, are a great many Greek inscriptions ; such of which as our
* The practice of excavating tombs in the neighbourhood of ancient cities, in the
quarries from which the stone was procured for building them, is very general in this
part of Africa, and was probably first adopted from its convenience ; little more being
necessary than to shape the excavated spaces to the size and form required after the
stone had been extracted for architectural purposes.
BENGAZI.
353
time allowed us to copy, will be found at the end of the chapter, with
further details of the buildings ; and in the mean time we refer our
readers to the plan of the city annexed.
Teuchira, or Tauchira, was a town of Barca, of considerable anti-
quity : its name was changed under the Ptolemies to Arsinoe, and
subsequently (by Mark Antony) to Cleopatris ; but its original
appellation has survived the others, and it is to this day distin-
guished by the name of Tauchira, or Tocra, under which it is known
to the Arabs.
The walls of Teuchira (we are informed by Procopius*) were
repaired under the emperor .Justinian, and they still remain in a
state of perfection which sufficiently proves the solidity of the work.
They are built of very massy blocks of stone, conformably with the
statement of the historian, many of which have formed parts of much
earlier buildings, as the inscriptions found upon them demonstrate.
\ ery little of the history of Teuchira has come down to us ; and
we scarcely know more of it, than that it formed one of the cities of
the Pentapolis. Although it is situated close to the sea, which washes
the northern face of it, Teuchira could never have been a port ; as it
affords no protection whatever for vessels derived from its natural
position, and there are not the slightest traces now visible of anything
like a cothon having been constructed there ; which, indeed, it would
have been folly to have attempted in the exposed situation of the
place f .
* De Aeclificiis.
t The water is also too deep to admit of one, and becomes so on a sudden within
few feet of the beach.
a
354
BENGAZI.
Traces of Christianity are still visible in the remains of a
a handsome church in this city, which may perhaps be attributed
to the piety or the munificence of Justinian, so conspicuously
displayed in similar structures throughout his extensive dominions.
The account which Bruce has given us of Ptolemeta proves evi-
dently that he confounded it with Teuchira, since he tells us
of its walls, “ which he found entire, on which were a prodigious
number of Greek inscriptions whereas there are no remains of
walls at Ptolemeta, (with the exception of a noble gateway by
which those which once existed were connected,) that are more
than a foot above the ground ; and we have already stated, that
the walls of Teuchira correspond with Bruce’s description. The
same writer adds that he found nothing at Arsinoe, or at Barca, and
we are somewhat at a loss to know what places he intends to point
out as the spots which he considers to have been occupied by the
two cities mentioned. We have given the details which we were
enabled to collect of Teuchira at the end of the present chapter,
and shall therefore abstain from further mention of it here, and pro-
ceed with the other parts of our narrative.
We may, however, remark that it abounds in wells of excellent
water, which are reserved by the Arabs for their summer con-
sumption, and only resorted to when the more inland supplies
. are exhausted; at other times Teuchira (we were informed) is
uninhabited. Many of the excavated tombs, which we have men-
tioned above, are occupied as dwelling-houses by the Arabs during
their summer visits to this part of the coast ; and from the circum-
BENGAZI.
355
stance of their being much cooler at that season than the external
atmosphere, are certainly very pleasant abodes.
Here also, as at Carcora, we were very much annoyed with the
parching sirocco wind ; and our Chaous, from Bengazi, a very stout
active fellow, was seized, in consequence, with a violent fever, and
was unable to continue his journey. We left him, however, in very
good hands, and he rejoined us, on his recovery, at Ptolemeta.
From Teuchira to Ptolemeta is about eighteen miles (geographic),
and the road between these places leads along the sea-coast, which
gradually apj)roaches the mountains. The soil is excellent, and the
country is for the most part well cultivated ; the wood being chiefly
confined to the sides of the mountains and to those of the ravines
which cross the road. In approaching Ptolemeta, the attention is
first arrested by a large and very lofty quadrangular tomb, con-
structed on a basis of solid rock, which has been purposely insulated
from the quarry in which it stands, and shaped also into a quadran-
gular form. This object assumes the appearance of a lofty tower, and
forms a very striking feature in the scenery about Ptolemeta, being
seen from a considerable distance.
Signor Della CeUa has supposed that this noble monument, “ vera-
mente” (as he observes) “ di regia grandezza,” was erected by the
seventh of the Ptolemies surnamed Physcon, or Euergetes the
Second, purposely as a tomb for himself
It is probable, however, that the restless and ambitious spirit of
this prince looked forward at all times to the sovereignty of Egypt,
even after the mediation of the Eomans, by which the Cyrenaica
2 Z 2
356
BENGAZI.
was assigned to him as a kingdom. However this may be, it will be
seen, from the plan and section of the structure in question, (which we
have given in the details of Ptolemeta,) that it was not intended for
the tomb of a single person, but as that of a numerous family, in
which no one appears to have been particularly distinguished from
the rest. There was originally, perhaps, some inscription over the
entrance of the tomb by which the name and the honours of the per-
sons it inclosed were set forth ; but as this part of the structure has
been purposely injured, it is probable that the inscription, if ever
there existed one, was at the same time effaced.
At any rate, though we looked very attentively for some appear-
ance of letters, we were unable to distinguish any ; and we will
merely suggest, with regard to this mausoleum, that it was certainly
appropriated to some family of distinction, (it may be to some part of
that of the Ptolemies,) since there is none so conspicuous or so hand-
some in any part of the neighbourhood of Ptolemeta.
The next object which presents itself in approaching the town is
the insulated gateway which we have mentioned above, standing now
like a triumphal arch overlooking the town, but which was originally
connected with the walls. On reaching the summit of the elevated
spot upon which this gateway has been erected, the remains of Pto-
lemeta lie before you, stretched out in various parts of the beautiful
plain in which it is built, sloping down from the mountains to the
sea. It appears to have occupied about a square mile of ground,
and a more agreeable position could not anywhere have been chosen.
BENGAZI.
357
on this part of the coast of the Cyrenaica, than that which has been
fixed upon for the port of Barca.
The harbour has been chiefly formed by art (one side of it only
being sheltered by nature) ; and the remains of the cothon are
still very conspicuous, though much encumbered with sand*.
An Amphitheatre and two Theatres are still visible at Ptolemeta :
the latter are close to the remains of a palace, of which three
columns only are now standing; and the former is constructed in a
large quarry, in which the seats have been partly excavated, those
parts only having been built which could not be formed in the
quarry itself. The interior court of the palace above-mentioned is
still covered with tessellated pavement, and beneath it are very spa-
cious arched cisterns, or reservoirs, communicating with each other,
and receiving air and light from the court-yard above them f . The
remaining columns of this building, which we imagine to have been a
palace, are those which Bruce has described as forming part of the
portico belonging to an Ionic temple, and as having been executed
“ in the first manner” of that order. The details of them, (he adds,)
with all the parts that could be preserved, are in the King’s collec-
tion. The proportions and style of the columns in question do not
(we must confess) appear, in our estimation, to partake much of the
early character of the Ionic ; but were the resemblance in reality
much greater than it is, the existence of a Greek inscription which
♦ A further description of the Harbour and Cothon will be found, with other details
of Ptolemeta, at the end of the chapter.
f See the plan of these in the plate prefixed to page 367. The columns are given in
the vignette at the beginning of this chapter.
358
BENGAZI.
is built into the basement of the columns, bearing the names of
Cleopatra and Ptolemy Philometor (together with another, turned
upside down, mentioning that of Arsinoe conjointly with Ptolemy
and Berenice,) would prevent our attributing an earlier date to
them than the reigns of the sovereigns recorded.
The ravines which form the eastern and western boundaries
of Ptolemeta (particularly that to the eastward) are wild and
romantic in the extreme ; and one might imagine one’s-self trans-
ported, in winding along them, to the beautiful secluded valleys of
Switzerland and Savoy. It is true that in the Cyrenaica nature is
on a less extended scale than in the mountainous districts we have
mentioned ; but it appears in a form no less captivating on that
account ; and we will venture to say, that if a person who had travelled
in those countries should be suddenly dropt into the eastern valley
of Ptolemeta, without being told where he was, he would certainly
suspect himself to be in one of them. He would never, for a
moment, dream of being in Africa — that parched and barren region
of desert monotony so horrid in European estimation. For our
own parts we shall never forget the dehght which we expe-
rienced, at every new turn of the valley, as fresh objects of
interest presented themselves to our view on either side of this
enchanting retreat.
We had already passed through a very interesting country, in our
journey from Bengazi to Ptolemeta ; and we had long forgotten the
■* The inscriptions will be found in the plate prefixed to Chapter 14.
BENGAZI.
359
dreary swamps and insipidity of the Syrtis, where only one tree had
been seen to rear itself in a space of more than four hundred
miles.
It could not, therefore, he contrast that made the vallies of Ptole-
meta appear to us in such captivating forms and colours— it was the
simple impression which Nature’s favourite spots never fail to create
on the imagination — heightened only, perhaps, by the solitude of the
scene, and the wild, romantic elegance of its character. There are
beauties which may be felt, but cannot be described ; and the charm
of romantic scenery is one of them.
We will not therefore attempt any other description of the eastern
valley of Ptolemeta, than by remarking that it rises gradually from
the sea, winding through forests of pine and flow^ering shrubs, (which
thicken as the sides of the mountain on which they grow become
higher and more abrupt,) till it loses itself in the precipitous part of
the range which bounds it to the southward, and which presents a dark
barrier of thickly-planted pines, shooting up into the blue sky above
them. The windings of the valley greatly add to its beauty, and the
scenery increases in interest at every turn, in tracing it up tow" ards the
mountains in which it loses itself. Sometimes the path is impeded by
trees, which throw their branches across it, leaving only a narrow pas-
sage beneath them ; and sometimes, on emerging from this dark and
difficult approach, a broad sweep of verdant lawn will suddenly pre-
sent itself, fenced in, apparently, on all sides, by liigh walls of various-
coloured pines, rising one above the head of the other, in all the gran-
deur of uniformity. On reaching the opposite end of this verdant
360
BENGAZI.
amphitheatre, a new scene presents itself, before unsuspected ; and
the rambler, bewildered with variety, finds himself utterly inca-
pable of deciding which pleases him most, or when he shall feel
himself equal to the task of tearing himself away from the spot. We
confess that, when first we discovered this valley, the shades of night
surprised us before we thought the sun had set, far in its deepest
recesses ; and we never afterwards visited it without regretting that
our occupations would not allow us more leisure to admire it.
Among the trees which clothe the sides of the mountains are
many handsome stone sarcophagi of Greek and Koman workmanship,
all of which, however, we found had been opened ; and among them
seats of the same material were occasionally observed to have been
placed, as if the sjhrits of the dead loved to linger about the spot
which had so much delighted them when living. We should wil-
lingly have devoted a great portion of our time to the same pleasing
occupation, and have passed whole days in wandering among the
tombs, in making plans and drawings of them, and searching for
inscriptions : but fate had not decreed us so agreeable a lounge, and
after securing in our portfolios some of the principal objects of the
place, we set out without further delay for Cyrene, which w’^e had
determined (as our time was now limited) should form the chief
object of inquiry. We had, however, arranged that, on our return
from Cyrene, the plan of the town and neighbourhood of Ptolemeta
(which will be found annexed) should be completed ; and that draw-
ings should be made of such of the most conspicuous objects as had
not been already secured, all of which was eventually accomphshed.
BENGAZI.
361
It will be seen, by a reference to the plan of Ptolemeta, that the
position of the town was remarkably well chosen. In its front was the
sea ; and on either side a ravine, along which are still seen traces of for-
tification, secured its flanks from any sudden attack ; while the only
passes by which it could be approached from the high ridge of moun-
tains to the southward, were defended (as will appear in the plan) by
strong barriers drawn completely across them : the whole town, at the
same time, was originally inclosed within a wall which may still be
traced to considerable extent, running parallel with the mountains at
the back, and extending from these, along the banks of the ravines,
to the sea. Two bridges appear (from the existing remains) to have
been thrown across each of the ravines ; one of which is to this day
tolerably perfect, and is faithfully represented, in its actual condition,
in the drawing which is given of it (page 362) ; several forts were
also scattered about in various directions, both within and without
the walls, contributing at once to the beauty and security of the
place. The situation of the town in other respects was also remark-
ably good. It sloped down gradually from the high ground which
forms the foot of the mountains at its back, (and which sheltered it
from the southerly winds,) and must consequently have enjoyed the
full benefit of the cool northern breezes, so grateful in all hot
climates. In fact, there is no place on the coast of Northern Africa,
between Ptolemeta and Tripoly, which can at all be compared with
the former of these places, for beauty, convenience, and security of
position, Lebda alone excepted. We are, however, informed, that the
town of Ptolemeta suffered at one time so severely from want of
362
BENGAZI.
water, that the inhabitants were obliged to relinquish their houses,
and disperse themselves about the country in different directions.
The reparation of the aqueducts and cisterns of the town, which, it
seems, had fallen into decay, restored Ptolemeta to its former flou-
rishing state ; and this act is recorded, among many others of a simi-
lar nature performed at the command of Justinian, in the eulogy of
that emperor by Procopius. As Ptolemeta is unprovided with
springs, the care of its reservoirs and aqueducts must have been at
all times peculiarly essential ; and we find that its buildings of this
class are among the most perfect of its existing remains.
It is probable that the cisterns we have mentioned above, as being
situated under the tesselated pavement of the edifice which Bruce calls
a temple, were among those alluded to by Procopius. They consist of
two divisions of arched chambers, running parallel with each other,
which are connected by others of shorter dimensions, running in an
opposite direction. They communicate mutually, by means of small
door-ways, of the form which will be seen in the plan (page 367), and
circular apertures were left at intervals in the roof, which received
light and air from the court-yard above them, and might have served
equally as entrances to the cisterns, or as places from which the
water might be drawn up in buckets. They have all of them been
coated with an excellent cement, which is still, for the most part,
very perfect, and occupy a square of about an hundred feet. We
may suppose that these reservoirs were occasionally available as sup-
plies for the general use of the town, since the remains of an aque-
duct leading from them through the centre of it are still visible, as
BENGAZI.
363
will appear in the plan of Ptoleraeta. There are also remains of stone
conductors leading into these cisterns from the mountains at the back
of the town, and as rain usually falls in great quantities during the
winter they must have been for the most part well supplied. We
searched in vain for some inscription on the walls of these buildings
which might throw light on the period of their construction or resto-
ration, but were unable to discover one in any part of them : the
arches which form the roofs are well turned and constructed in the
usual manner, with a key-stone. We may add, that these cisterns
still afford a very copious supply to the Arab tribes of the neighbour-
hood, although no care is taken to lead the rain into them ; and
we found the water which they contained on our arrival at Ptolemeta
uncommonly cool and delightful.
The greater part of the town, on our first visits to it, was thickly
overgrown with wild marigolds and camomile, to a height of four and
five feet, and patches of corn were here and there observable grow-
ing equally within the city walls The solitude of the place was
at the same time unbroken by animals of any description ; if we except
a small number of jackals and hyaenas, which strayed down after
sunset in search of water, and a few owls and bats which started out
from the ruins as we disturbed them by our near and unexpected
approach. Appeals of this kind are always irresistible; and the
contrast which presented itself between the silence and desolation
* After sowing the corn, the Arabs leave it to enjoy the advantages of the winter
rains, and never j-eturn to it till it comes to matui'ity and is ready to be cut and carried
away.
3 A 2
364
BENGAZI.
which characterized the city of Ptolemeta when we visited it, and
the busy scene which a spectator of its former wealth and magni-
ficence would have witnessed under the Ptolemies and the Cmsars,
afforded a striking and, we must say, a melancholy example of the
uncertainty of all human greatness.
If the exuberant vegetation we have mentioned appeared to be
rather out of its place, it was not less a source of inconvenience than
regret, for we had the pleasure of being obliged to wade through
it up to our arm-pits in making our way to the different buildings ;
and it may readily be imagined that this tiresome operation, after the
heavy rains which fell occasionally at night, was no treat on a cool
cloudy morning. The brushing through a turnip field, or one of
mangel-wurzel, which many of our readers have no doubt often tried
with a double-barrelled gun upon their shoulders, is nothing to the
tramping we have mentioned; for not only our boots and trowsers
were quickly wet through with the heavy drops which we brushed
from their lodgments, but our shirt-sleeves and jackets, and sometimes
even our turbans, were also well soaked on these occasions. A very
different scene presented itself on our return from Cyrene, when the
summer heat had begun to exert its influence. Not a leaf or a stalk
remained of all the impediments we have alluded to, and the prevailing
colour of the place, which we had left a bright green, had been suc-
ceeded by a dusky brown. The corn had been cut and carried, leaving
scarcely any traces of its having been formerly growing ; and the ruins
were left exposed, in all their naked desolation, glaring on the eye
of the spectator. W e had now to encounter inconveniences of a
BENGAZI.
365
very different nature from those which had originally presented them-
selves ; but although they were by no means less disagreeable, we had
reason to rejoice in the exchange. No impediment now remained to
obstruct our approach to, or to prevent our view of the buildings, and
we were able to trace the plans of them with much greater ease and
accuracy than we could on the former occasions. Having given a
general view of the country and remains between Bengazi and Ptole-
meta, we will now retrace our steps, and notice a few of the ruins
which present themselves in the route with somewhat more atten-
tion to detail.
Of the buildings which occur in passing from Bengazi to Teuchira,
the most conspicuous is that which we have already mentioned
under its modern name of Gusser el Toweel (the high tower), and
which we have supposed to be the same with that called Cafez by
Edrisi, and placed by him at the distance of a day’s journey from
Soluc. It is a quadrangular building of about thirty-six feet by
twenty ; which is entered by a single door placed in the centre of
one of its longest sides. On one side of the building is a narrow
chamber, occupying the whole breadth of the interior, and on the
opposite side is a low archway, (of not more than six feet in height
from the floor, and sunk about four feet below it,) which is now
almost filled up with rubbish, and of which, we must confess, we were
unable to discover the use. The intervening space is left vacant,
forming a single room of something more than seventeen feet in
length, and occupying, like the narrow chamber which communicates
with it, the whole breadth of the inner part of the building.
366
BENGAZI.
A window has been formed in part of the wall for the purpose
of giving light to an upper story, which, together with the window
itself, appears to have made no part of the original plan; an
addition has also been made to the exterior, (marked by shading hnes
in the ground-plan,) and forming, with what has been already
described, a square of something less than fifty feet. There is no
appear£ince of any door in this additional wall, which has been very
strongly built, and it completely prevents aU access from without to
the door of the original building. The object of this has no doubt
been security, and the whole structure appears to have been intended
as a station for troops and was probably one of the fortresses
repaired by Justinian. Its height may be about five-and-twenty feet,
(we mean the height of the original building, for the added part
does not seem to have been ever raised to half that elevation), and it
IS still surmounted by a cornice part of which is, however, cut away.
There are several other strong towers at no great distance from
Gusser el Toweel, nearer to the foot of the mountains, and a commu-
nication appears to have been kept up all the way from Bengazi to
Ptolemeta. There are also several well-built and spacious arched
cisterns, and other structures partly built and partly excavated, in
this tract of country ; as also many subterranean storehouses for
gram ; and a month or two might certainly be spent with great ad-
vantage m examining the space between the sea and the mountains,
from Bengazi to Birsis and Teuchira.
BENGAZI.
367
CHAPTER XIII.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE CITIES OF TEUCHIRA AND PTOLEMETA.
Actual Condition of the City of Teuchira — Perfect State and great Strength of its Walls —
Suggested Period of their Erection' — Mode in which they are constructed — Gates of the City
— Narrow Passage communicating with them — Probable Advance of the Sea at Teuchira —
Line described by the Walls — Estimated Circuit of them according to Signor Della Celia
— Greek Inscriptions cut in various parts of them — Suggestions of Signor Della Celia
respecting them — Actual Nature of the Inscriptions — Excavated Tombs in the Quarries of
Teuchira — Egyptian Names of Months generally adopted by the Inhabitants of the City —
General Nature of the Plans of the Tombs — Some of the Bodies appear to have been burnt,
and others to have been buried entire — No Difference appears to have obtained at Teuchira
between the Modes of Burial adopted by its Greek and Roman Inhabitants — Encumbered
State of what are probably the earliest Tombs — Solitary instance of a Painted Tomb at
Teuchira — Remains of Christian Churches, and other Buildings within the Walls — Disposi-
tion of the Streets — Remains without the Walls — No Statues, or Remains of them, discovered
by our Party at Teuchira — Remarks on the Wall of Ptolemeta — Remains of a Naustothmos,
or Naval Station, observed there — Other Remains of Building on the Beach near the Station
— Further traces of the City-Wall — Dimensions of Ptolemeta — Remains of Theatres found
there — Description of the larger one — Ruins described by Bruce as part of an Ionic Temple
—Other Remains in the Neighbourhood of these- — Remarks on the Style of some of the
Buildings of Ptolemeta, as contrasted with those of Egypt and Nubia — Probable Date of its
existing Remains.
It will be seen, by a reference to the plan of the city of Teuchira,
that there is little now remaining within the limits of its walls to
call for any particular details. The destruction of the town has, in fact,
been so complete, that it is scarcely more than a heap of confused
ruins; and the various fragments of building which are scattered
over its surface encumber the ground-plans so effectually, that more
labour and time would be necessary for their removal than the build-
ings would probably merit. It is evident that Teuchira has been
intentionally destroyed ; and that the solidity of its walls has alone
*
368
BENGAZI.
prevented them from being confounded in the general wreck. The
perfect state in which these still continue to remain will, however,
compensate for the losses we have sustained within their limits ; and
we may consider them as affording one of the best examples extant of
the military walls of the ancients. Procopius has informed us that
the city of Teuchira was very strongly fortified by the Emperor Jus-
tinian ; and the restoration of the original wall which inclosed it (which
we may suppose to have been laid in ruins by the Vandals) was pro-
bably the chief point to which the historian alluded. We are not
aware of any data by which the precise period of the first erection of
these walls may be ascertained ; but their solidity would induce us
to refer them to an epoch anterior to the time of the Ptolemies ;
while the regularity with which they have, at the same time, been
constructed would prevent us from assigning to them a very early
date *. It is well know n that the most ancient walls which remain
to us are as remarkable for the irregularity as they are for the solidity
of their structure ; and the term Cyclopean, which has been generally
applied to them, has almost become synonymous with irregular.
The existing walls of Teuchira have undoubtedly been constructed
at a period when architecture had attained great perfection; the
mode of building adopted in them is uniform and regular, w^ell
calculated from its nature to save labour and expense, and is such as
could only have been successfully employed where the blocks of
* Many of the stones employed in the restoration of the walls have belonged to more
ancient buildings, and parts of handsome cornices, friezes, and capitals are often seen
built in with the original structure ; among these may be noticed fragments of Ptolemaic
inscriptions, which are evidently not in their original jjlaces.
BENGAZI.
369
stone used were large and heavy. Two ranges of stone, longitudi-
nally placed, form the outer and inner surface of the structure ; and
these are crossed by a single block at regular intervals the length
of which is the thickness of the wall : a space is left between the
longitudinal ranges, about equivalent to the breadth of the stones
which compose them ; and this is filled up with what is usually
termed rubble, (which here appears to be the refuse of the material
employed,) and occasionally with a single stone. Little or no cement
has been used in the building (so far at least as we were able to dis-
cover) ; and, indeed, the weight of the several blocks, with the pres-
sure upon them, would seem to render it wholly unnecessary.
Six and twenty quadrangular turrets contribute at the same time
to the strength and the defence of the wall ; and two gates flanked
with buttresses, projecting inwards, by which the entrance is defended,
and placed opposite to each other on the east and western walls, are
the only approaches to the town The entrance through these (as
is usual in ancient towns) is by means of a narrow passage formed by
the buttresses mentioned above ; but the gate itself is not placed
within the line of the walls, as we find to have been the case with
that of Mycenae, but ranges with them. Nearly in the centre of the
southern wall there are two turrets of considerably larger dimensions
than the rest, which are at the same time of a more recent construc-
* We must except a low, narrow door, through one of the turrets at the south-west
angle, the mode of constructing which will appear in page 367. It seems to have been
intended as a sally-port and one person only can pass through it at a time. From the re-
mains about this angle, there appears to have been an outer wall of very inferior strength,
but it seems to have made no part of the original plan.
370
BENGAZI.
tion, and immediately opposite to them is an outer wall of a semi-
circular form. We naturally searched here for another entrance to
the town, but could find no appearance of there ever having been
one : yet, except it were for the defence of a gateway, there does not
seem to be any sufficient reason why these turrets should be larger
than the rest ; and if there were no entrance through them to the
town there has been none on the south side at all^. On the north
side of Teuchira (it wiU appear in the plan) no part of the city wall
is remaining, and it is probable that it has been undermined by the
sea which appears to have here advanced (as it has on other parts of
the coast) beyond its original bounds.
The line described by the walls, although somewhat quadrangu-
lar, is by no means a regular figure — a diagonal drawn from the op-
posite corners, at the north-east and south-western angles, would be
a line of about three thousand two hundred English feet ; while that
which would pass through the north-west and south-eastern angles
would be about nine hundred feet shorter. The circuit of the walls
has been estimated by Signor Della Celia at about two miles ; but we
found it, by measurement, to be less than a mile and a half ; being
comprised in a line of eight thousand six hundred English feet f .
* Nearly opposite to these, turrets, without the wall, are the remains of a very strong
fort ; and this circumstance would perhaps seem to favour the idea of there having been
a gate in the place here alluded to, the entrance to which would have been well defended
by the fort.
i' The turrets attached to the walls are also described by the same author as round ;
and it is difficult to imagine what could have occasioned this mistake, since they are all
of them quadrangular, as will appear by the plait.
BENGAZr.
371
On the interior of the wall, as we have already stated, there are a
good many Greek inscriptions ; but we were not fortunate enough to
find their contents quite so interesting as Dr. Della Celia has sup-
posed they might have been, when he tells us, that “all the annals of
the city might perhaps be found registered on its walls We ex-
amined the whole space, however, very attentively and found only a
collection of names, which we should scarcely have thought it worth
while to copy had not the Doctor’s assertion made it necessary to
shew what portion of information the inscriptions actually contained.
They will be found, with other inscriptions from the excavated
tombs of Teuchira, in page 386 ; and it will be seen that the names
are chiefly Greek, and the character, for the most part, Ptolemaic ; but
no other dates could be found, on any part of the surface mentioned
excepting the few which appear in the plate. The inscriptions alluded
to by Signor Della Celia, on a quadrangular building towards the
centre of the city, consist also wholly of names and dates ; they are
encircled by a wreath, and it will be seen by the plate that these
names are for the most part Roman. A few names, within a similar
enclosure, were also visible on the wall of a turret, one of which (the
most legible) we have copied.
The excavated tombs in the neighbourhood of Teuchira contain
a vast number of Greek inscriptions ; but these also afford only
names and dates, of different countries and periods ; and the most
interesting piece of information that we were enabled to derive from
Le mura della citta sono talmenti tapezzate di Grechi inscrizioni che forse trovansi
qui registrati tutti gli annali di questa citta. (Viaggio da Tripoli, &c. p. 199.)
3 B g
372
BENGAZI.
them, was the proof which they afford of the Egyptian names of
months having been in general use in this part of the Cyrenaica.
Many of the tombs, and it is probable also most of the earliest, are
now buried under a mass of drifted sand ; and among these it is not
unlikely that dates might be found of very considerable antiquity.
From the wreck of materials, also, which encumber the city, some
valuable inscriptions might possibly be obtained, but the labour of
clearing the ground to search for them would perhaps be too great
to be undertaken with propriety, on the mere chance of such disco-
veries.
Of the tombs at Teuchira into which we were able to penetrate,
(we mean such as are not buried in sand,) there are none, that we
could find, of any particular interest. They appear to have been at
all times very rude, compared with those of Egypt and Gyrene, and
the inscriptions upon them are in many instances very rudely cut.
Most of them have only one chamber, three sides of which are some-
times occupied by places cut into the wall for the reception of bodies.
Some have only two, and others again only one of these places, in
which case (we mean the latter) it is usually found opposite to the
door. In several of the tombs there are no places discernible for
bodies, and rudely-cut columbaria are all that can be perceived in
them ; in others again we find both, but seldom placed in the same
position with regard to each other.
W e may infer from these circumstances, that some of the bodies
were burnt, the ashes only being deposited in the tomb, and that
others were buried entire after being, most probably, embalmed :
BENGAZI.
373
and here we have a mixture of the Greek and Egyptian modes of
burial, as might naturally, indeed, be expected*.
Not a trace of the mode in which the bodies had been embalmed,
nor indeed of any bodies at all, could we perceive either at Teuchira
or Ptolemeta. Not a single fragment, either of any cinerary urn
or of vases of any description. The dampness of the climate, in the
winter season, would no doubt contribute very materially to the
destruction of the bodies when the covers were once removed from
the excavated places which contained them ; but it is at the same
time somewhat remarkable that not a single fragment of linen or bone
could be met with (though we searched for them with great atten-
tion) by which the mode of burial could be ascertained. The cause
of this is most probably the occupation of the tombs by the Arabs
who, as we have stated above, make use of them occasionally as
I
places of residence for themselves and their cattle; and would
naturally throw out any similar remains when they chanced to
be seized with a fit of cleanliness or industry.
The pottery would also very speedily disappear before the re-
peated attacks of the children ; and such urns or vases as were found
at all perfect would be employed by the women for culinary pur-
poses, and depdts of various kinds, and would naturally be broken in
the course of time however carefully they may have been preserved.
The fragments thrown out would soon be buried in sand blown up
into the quarries, in heaps, from the sea ; and thus all traces might
* The practice of burying the body entire was, however, very frequently adopted by
the Greeks in other places, as we shall hereafter have occasion to mention.
374
BENGAZI.
easily be lost as well of the bodies themselves, as of the vases and
urns which contained the ashes. There appears to have been no
difference whatever in the mode of burial practised by the Greeks and
Eomans of Teuchira, since many of the tombs, which are similar
within, have on them the names of one and the other nation indis-
criminately, and they are often seen mingled together on the same.
It is probable that the early tombs would be interesting, and that
they would be found at the same time more perfect than the rest ;
for the sand has accumulated about them in such heaps as to have
blocked up all access to them for ages. Those most buried are the
tombs which are nearest the town, and they are also, we should
imagine, the oldest ; but we had no time to employ in excavating
any of them, although we very much wished to do so.
There is one example of a painted tomb at Teuchira, in very bad
taste, and this was the only one we could perceive that was so ; it is
probable, however, that most of them have been originally painted, and
that what we see at present are the mere skeletons of the originals*.
Of the buildings contained within the walls of the city, the most
interesting of those whose plans were distinguishable, appeared to us
to be the two Christian churches which will be found, with all the
details we could procure of them, in the plate, page 367. In both
*' Plans and sections of some of the tombs will be found in page 367, and we think the
reader will not be able to trace so much resemblance between the style of Teuchira and
that of Gyrene as Signor Della Celia has discovered, when he tells us that “ II fabri-
cate di Tochira, dello stessissimo stile di quello di Cirene, la stessa copia, e struttura di
tombi, conferma ciocche di questa citta lascid scritto Erodoto, che usava le stesse leggi
de’ Cirenei, — (Page 199.)
BENGAZI.
375
these it will be seen, that the part devoted to the altar was on the
eastern side of the building; but the extreme length of one of them
is much greater than usual, and it is not unlikely that the portion at
its western extremity, although comprised in the same hne of wall,
was part of another building.
Near one of these (that to the eastward of the town) we found
part of an entablature in the worst taste of the lower empire, which
we conjectured to be the remains alluded to by Signor Della Celia, as
probably having formed a part of the temple of Bacchus : it is true
that they are mentioned by the Doctor as capitals and not as parts
of the epistylia ; but as the fragment is small, it is possible that such
a mistake may have been made ; and if this be not what is alluded to
in the passage below, we confess that nothing else could be found
among the ruins which would at all correspond with the description *.
The streets of Teuchira appear to have been built in squares, and
to have crossed each other at right angles. One large street seems
to have passed completely across the town, from the eastern to the
western gateway ; and towards the centre of this we found some
columns and the arch of a gateway which probably stood across
the street. In various parts of the city, to the north-east and south-
west of it in particular, there are imposing remains of fallen columns
and entablatures, which have no doubt belonged to buildings of more
than ordinary importance ; but without excavation it w ould not be
* Vi si scorgono pure gli avanzi di un tempio che io ci'edo essere stato dedicate a
Bacco, a giudicarne da’ capitelli, che giaciano afFastellati fra le sue rovine, guarniti di
foglie di viti con grappoli pendenti. — (P. 199.)
376
BENGAZI.
possible to give any satisfactory account of them, and we have not
ventured, in our plan of the town, to hazard any attempt at restoring
them. There are also some interesting remains of buildings at the
north-eastern angle of the city, where part of a quarry has been en-
closed within the walls for the better defence of the place, to which
indeed it effectually contributes ; a strong fort has been built at this
angle, in an elevated and commanding position, which appears to
have been the citadel, or strong-hold of the town. Without the
walls, to the westward of the town, there are also some interesting re-
mains, the plans of which we attempted to complete without success :
we found there a group in alto-relief, apparently of Koman work-
manship, of which we have given an outline at page 367. There were
probably, in earlier times, many statues in the city of Teuchira ; but
none of them at present remain, not, at least, that we could discover ;
and they have, perhaps, not survived the barbarism of the Vandals, or
the fanaticism and ignorance of those who have succeeded them.
We now pass to the remains of Ptolemeta ; and shall begin by
observing, that no traces of the wall, which originally enclosed it would
present themselves to the notice of a casual observer in taking a
general view of the town. On examination, however, in the neigh-
bourhood of the gateway, with which it seems probable that walls
have been connected, we discovered traces of them running straight
down to the quarry, in which we have already mentioned the amphi-
theatre was built and excavated. Here we found that the wall had
passed through the quarry ; and that a portion of the rock had been
left on each side of it, in the line of the w^alfs direction, connecting
BENGAZI.
377
the part which ran down from the gateway with that which we dis-
covered on the opposite side of the quarry, extending itself from
thence to the sea. The remains of the wall between the quarry and
the sea are very conspicuous and decided ; they run down quite to
the water’s edge, and are here about eight feet in thickness, and, in
some parts, as much as twelve and thirteen feet in height With-
out these (to the westward), almost buried in sand, are the remains
of the Naustathmos (or naval station), built for the protection of
vessels : they begin from the wall, following the line of the beach
towards the mouth of the western ravine, and were themselves pro-
tected from the sea by a breakwater of about fourteen feet in thick-
ness. The walls of the v(po^f/.oi (uphormoi)f are seven feet in thick-
ness, and the spaces which they inclose, where the vessels were sta-
tioned, as much as thirty and forty feet across, in those parts which
the sand had not altogether covered. To the westward of the ravine,
other traces of wall are visible, extending themselves from that (in a
line with the beach) along a road which leads towards the quarries,
in which are the insulated tombs already alluded to, represented in
plate (p. 355). Further traces of walls are observable running round
this harbour towards the point marked A in the plan ; and it seems
to have been altogether divided from the inland country, as we find
* We mean, of course, in their present ruined state, for the original height of the
wall cannot now be ascertained.
•f These divisions, composing the Naustathmos, were termed (ormoi), vtpogpt-oi
(uphormoi), or vavXojcot (naulokoi), as mentioned in the account of the ports and harbours
at the end of the Narrative.
378
BENGAZI.
to have been usual with the ancients, more particularly in time of
war *. We had no opportunities of ascertaining whether any other
remains of a cothon are to be seen between the points A and B,
where the (keelai, or cornua), the claws, or horns (as they were
called) of the harbour, would be looked for if any such had formerly
existed. Eemains of a wall running round the small port within the
town (on the eastern side of point B), and which we may call the
eastern harbour, are still visible ; and a strong fort yet remains on
either side of it, at the eastern and western extremity of the wall,
which appeas to have been often the case f .
The Pharos, or light-house, if any such existed, was probably
erected on the high ground on point B, in the neighbourhood of the
fort at its eastern extremity, and columns and other fragments of
building, at the back of the western port, point out the places of
those structures usually erected by the ancients near their harbours,
for the accommodation of the merchants and sailors : here also
are the remains of a .bridge which was formerly thrown across the
ravine, running down to the wall of this port.
We have already said that traces of the city-wall are observable
between the quarry which contains the amphitheatre and the gate-
way ; and a portion of it may also be remarked extending from the
latter to the mountains at the back of the town ; where they are con-
nected with other parts of it running along the foot of the range to
the inner bank of the eastern ravine. There again decided remains
* See account of ports and harbours, (p. 21).
t Ibid.
BENGAZI.
379
of the wall may be traced running parallel with the same ravine ; and
which, passing near the bridge represented in plate (p. 362,) continue
towards the sea as far as the remains of the second bridge which we
have already mentioned. Beyond this we could perceive no more
traces of the wall ; although it seems more than probable that it ex-
tended on this side to the beach, (as we find it to have done on the
opposite side to the westward,) and that it passed along parallel with
the sea, till it joined the portions connecting the two forts of the
eastern harbour, which we have already observed to be remaining.
We could not discover any traces of a gateway in the eastern wall of
the city ; but it is probable that there was formerly one on this side
also, leading to the upper bridge, where some very strong works are
still extant, in the form of a curve, as will appear by a reference to
the plan.
It is difficult to say how these works were connected with the
remains of the wall between them and the mountains ; and had our
time allowed it, we should have excavated about them for the purpose
of discovering the connection.
^Ve may reckon that the walls of Ptolemeta, when entire, inclosed
a quadrangle of eighteen thousand English feet in circuit ; and the
line of wall which may be traced from the existing remains covers
a space of at least thirteen thousand. A line drawn through the
centre of the city, from north to south, would be about four thou-
sand eight hundred feet in length ; and that which should be drawn
across it from east to west, about four thousand four hundred. T. he
whole circuit of the city would thus be somewhat less than three
3 C 2
380
BENGAZI.
English miles and a half*'; its length, from north to south, some-
thing less than a mile f , and its breadth from east to west something
more than three-quarters J.
Such of the plans of the buildings at Ptolemeta as could in their
present state be satisfactorily made out, will be found in plate (page
385 ;) but although the forms of the theatres and amphitheatre pre-
vent their being mistaken for other buildings, it would not be possi-
ble without excavation to make out their details with any accuracy.
^Ve have given our idea of the larger of the two theatres, from the
appearance and the measurements of the existing remains of it §, but
the smaller one was too much ruined, and too much encumbered, to
allow of our hazarding a similar attempt, and we have confined our-
selves to its general dimensions, as given in the plan of the town.
W e may reckon the diameter of the orchestra of the larger theatre
at about one hundred and forty-five English feet, and that of the part
appropriated to the cunei, at about fifty of the same. The whole
diameter of the theatre would thus be two hundred and forty-five
feet. It will be observed that the area of the orchestra is very consi-
derably larger than that occupied by the same part of the building in
Greek and Roman theatres in general, and that the passages leading
into it are wider in proportion to the cunei than usual. It will also be
seen, from the absence of any proecinctions, that there were no inte-
rior communications in this theatre, by which the spectators dis-
persed themselves over the body of the house : the only approach to
* 480 feet less. f 480 less. % 440 more. § See plate.
BENGAZI.
381
the seats having been by means of passages communicating directly
with the orchestra from without, which appear to have been nearly
on a level with the orchestra itself ; the roofs of them, only, sloping
somewhat in the direction of the seats themselves. As these (the
seats) were comparatively few, and the spaces between the passages
inconsiderable, there was no necessity for staircases, and we accord-
ingly find no appearance of any communications of this nature. As
it seems, however, that the lowest range of seats was raised a few
feet above the level of the passage and of the orchestra, a short flight
of steps would have been necessary, to render the access to them
easy; and we thought we observed traces, in two or three of the
divisions, of there having been one originally in each. The arched
roofs of all the passages have fallen in, and every part of the theatre
has suffered materially from the effects of rainy winters, rather than
of time.
The depth of the proscenium appears to have been, as we have
given it, about twenty-five feet, but we could recover no part of the
stage with any tolerable accuracy, so that we have omitted it altoge-
ther.
The amphitheatre has been chiefly excavated (as we have already
observed) in the quarry in which it stands, and a small portion of it
only has been built, where the rock could not be made to serve.
Here, as in the theatres, there appear to have been no interior com-
munications ; and the approach to the seats was probably from above,
as well as from below, by means of the staircases between the several
cunei only, no passages being anywhere observable. The whole of this
382
BENGAZI.
is so ruined, that we shall give no further details of it than we have
offered to our readers, merely stating, that its form appeared to have
been round, in which particular it differs from amphitheatres in gene-
ral, which are usually of an oblong figure. The diameter of the
circle may be reckoned at about two hundred and fifty Enghsh feet,
including the cunei and arena.
The remains marked {a) are the same which Bruce describes as
those of an Ionic temple ; there is nothing, however, (that we can
perceive) in the disposition of what still exists of their plan, to autho-
rize such a conclusion ; and we have considered them as the remains
of a palace, or other residence of more than ordinary importance.
The three remaining columns appear to have formed part of a co-
lonnade extending itself round the court-yard, which has already been
described as situated above an extensive range of cisterns : remains
of tessellated pavement are still observable in the court-yard, and the
walls which inclose it are very decided ; the columns have been raised
on a basement of several feet in height, as will be seen in the vignette
in which they are represented. Without these, to the northward,
are ranges of fallen columns of much larger dimensions than those we
have just mentioned ; but they are so much encumbered, that we
have not ventured to lay them down in the plan : they are of the
Corinthian order, and the capitals are well executed. A little beyond
these, to the northward and north-eastward, are other remains of
columns, which once belonged to a building of some importance, the
plan of which cannot be given without excavation ; and, indeed, we
may observe, with respect to the numerous masses of fallen columns.
BENGAZI.
383
and other parts of various buildings of more than ordinary conse-
quence at Ptolemeta, that very little satisfactory information can be
obtained of their plans, without a good deal of labour in clearing
them, from the accumulation of soil, and the fragments of fallen
building, with which they are encumbered. There is a structure of
very large dimensions at the north-eastern part of the town, the
outer walls of which are still standing to a considerable height ; but
the plan of its interior is not sufficiently apparent to authorize any re-
storation of it, and we will not even hazard a conjecture of its nature.
On its northern face are three large quadrangular tablets of stone, built
into the wall, each five feet in length by four in height, on which are
cut the Greek inscriptions (marked 1), given in plate (page 385) ; and
to the westward and south-westward of this building are many in-
teresting remains of private dwelling-houses, palaces, baths, &c., which
require a great deal of excavation. On a pedestal in one of these, is the
inscription (4) in plate (page 385) ; most of them appear to have been
Roman, and the capitals and bases of some of the columns belonging
to them are very fanciful and overcharged with ornament. Some of
the shafts of small columns in this mass of building are spiral, and
formed of coloured marbles ; and may probably be attributed to the
time of Justinian, when the city revived under his politic munifi-
cence. If the taste displayed by the Greeks and Romans of this
period had been at all in proportion to the expense which they la-
vished upon their public and private edifices of almost every descrip-
tion, the result would have been splendid in the extreme ; but the
costliness of material, and the labour employed in ornament, will not
384
BENGAZI.
compensate for the absence of this true test of genuine excellence ;
and we cannot venture to commend the strange mixture of received
orders, and the wayward fancy employed in the invention of new
ones, which are conspicuous in several parts of Ptolemeta.
It has been observed by Signor Della Celia, that the remains of this
city are purely Egyptian ; but we must confess that we were unable
to discover the slightest resemblance of style in Ptolemeta to that
which characterizes the architecture of Egypt. There is nothing at
Ptolemeta (that we could perceive) which is not either Greek or
Roman ; and the profusion of unnecessary ornament, which generally
distinguished the later productions of both these nations, is very
different from that which is observable in Egyptian remains. The
style of Egypt, though highly ornamental, is founded on estabhshed
principles ; and there is nothing incongruous or unmeaning in the
most laboured decorations which are peculiar to it : proportion and
simplicity are very rarely violated in the buildings either of Egypt or
Nubia; and the great variety of ornament which appears in them
never disturbs the general effect, or detracts from the imposing gran-
deur of the masses. Whenever the general form and larger parts of
a building are simple and well proportioned, a great deal of ornament
may be adopted in the detail, without injury to the effect of the
whole ; and as this is particularly the case in Egyptian architecture,
the mind is strongly impressed with the pleasing character of the
general mass, before it has time to notice any other peculiarities.
The same may be observed with respect to Gothic architecture ;
in which the almost infinite detail which it presents is not found to
BENGAZI.
385
diminish either the simplicity, the grandeur, or the elegance of the
whole. When the attention is turned from the general mass to the
subdivisions, every portion, however small, is observed to have a
meaning, in both styles of architecture here alluded to ; and there is
seldom any part of the ornament, either in Egyptian or in Gothic
examples, which we wish to have removed from its place. In the
capitals and shafts of Egyptian columns, (which are usually com-
posed of different parts of the lotus, the leaves, the stalks, the
open flower, or the bud, so combined and arranged as not to
interfere with the simple and, generally, graceful outhne of the
whole,) the detail gives a lightness to the general mass which
tends to improve its effect ; and the simplicity of the general
form exhibits the decoration to advantage: but in the later pro-
ductions of Greece and Kome, a profusion of unmeaning orna-
ment is employed, which rather gives an air of heaviness to the
detail, than any appearance of lightness to the mass. The general
forms are not, in fact, sufficiently important of themselves to create a
favourable impression ; and it w ill usually be found difficult, if not
impossible, to make amends for this fault by decoration. We do not
mean to assert that there are no examples of good taste at Ptole-
meta ; but it appears to us that by far the greater part of the build-
ings now remaining have been constructed since the place became a
Roman colony ; and that there are none to which a higher antiquity
may be safely assigned (with the exception of some of the tombs)
than the period at which the country was occupied by the Ptolemies.
3D
386
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
CHAPTER XIV.
JOURNEY FROM PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
Departure from Ptolemeta — Romantic and Picturesque Appearance of the Road — Luxuriant
Vegetation which adorned it — Arrive at the Summit of the first Range — Bedouin Tents
on the Plain above — Pleasing Manners of their Inhabitants — Character of the Scenery
on the Summit of the Lower Range — Beauty of the Route continues — Arrive at the
Plain of Merge — Character and Position of the Plain — Our Camel-Drivers refuse to pro-
ceed— Artful Conduct of Abou-Bukra — Appeal to Bey Halil — Projected Mission to Derna
— Abou-Bukra comes to Terms, and brings his Camels for the Journey — Pools of Fresh
Water collected in the Plain of Merge — Use made of them by the Arabs — Prevalence
of a Virulent Cutaneous Disease among the Arab Tribes of Merge and its Neighbourhood
— Remains of a Town at one extremity of the Plain — Remarks on the District and City
of Barka — Testimonies of Strabo, Pliny, Ptolemy, and Scylax, respecting the Port of
Barca — Remarks on the Position of the City of that Name — Arab Accounts of Barca —
Edrisi, Abulfeda, &c. — Unsatisfactory Nature of the Accounts in Question — Mode of recon-
ciling the Arab Accounts of Barca with those of Scylax — Suggested Position of the Ancient
City — Peculiarity of Soil attributed to Barca — Observations on its Produce and Resources—
State of Barca under the Arabs — Decay of the Ancient City after the building of Ptolemais
on the Site of its Port — The Barcseans remarkable for their Skill in the Management of
Horses and Chariots — Their Country formerly celebrated for its excellent Breed of Horses —
Degeneracy of the present Breed — -Account of Barca by Herodotus — Other Accounts of its
Origin — Siege and Plunder of the City by the Persians under Amasis — Subsequent state of
the City till the building of Ptolemais.
On our arrival at Ptolemeta, we had discharged the camels which we
hired from the people of Bengazi, and waited the arrival of those
which Hadood, Shekh of Barca, was to furnish us with, under whose
escort we were to proceed to the eastern limits of the Bashaw’s
dominions.
At Teuchira we had been joined, as we have already stated, by
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
387
Abou-Bukra, the son of Hadood, and four days after our arrival at
Ptolemeta the camels which we expected were brought from the
mountains, and we set out on our journey to Gyrene. We left Pto-
lemeta on the twenty-seventh of April, and took the road leading
through Merge, a large and fertile plain, situated on the top of the
range which we have already described as lying to the southward
of Ptolemeta. After repassing a part of the road, by which we had
formerly travelled, we began to ascend a most romantic valley, a
little to the westward of the town of Ptolemeta and leading up
from the coast towards Merge. As we wound along the steep and
narrow pathway which skirted the bed of the torrent below us, we
found the place much more remarkable for its wildness and beauty
than it was for the goodness of its roads ; and had not our camels
been accustomed to the mountains they would probably have given
us a good deal of trouble. The sides of the valley were thickly
clothed with pines, ohve trees, and different kinds of laurel, inter-
spersed with clusters of the most luxuriant honeysuckle, the
fragrance of which, as we passed it, literally perfumed the air.
Among these we distinguished myrtle, arbutus, and laurestinus,
with many other handsome flowering shrubs, a variety of wild roses,
both white and red, and quantities of rosemary and juniper.
Scenes of this kind even in Europe would be highly appreciated ;
but to travellers in Africa, it may readily be imagined they could
not fail of being more than usually grateful ; and every fresh
beauty which opened itself to our view was hailed with enthusiastic
delight.
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388
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE,
The very difficulty of the road added interest to the scene ; and
the mixture of what (with us) would have been garden shrubs,
blooming, more luxuriantly than we ever see them in northern cli-
/
mates, amidst the wild crags of a neglected ravine, gave a finish and
an elegance to its rugged forms which produced the most agreeable
association of ideas.
But if we begin to indulge ourselves in recollections of this nature,
we shall soon lose the thread of our narrative ; and restraint is the
more necessary on the present occasion, as the scenes which pre-
sented themselves one after the other, in our route from Ptolemeta
to Merge, were nothing but a continued succession of beauties from
the beginning to the end of our journey. In about an hour from the
time when we began to ascend, we reached the top of the first hill,
and were saluted by a wild-looking, dark-featured Arab, who presented
us some honey in the comb which is procured in quantities from the
neighbouring mountains. This was the first person we had met
with in our passage up the ravine, and there was a wildness in his
accent as well as in his appearance which suited admirably with the
character of the scene. A little farther on we reached some Arab
tents, scattered here and there among the bushes and trees, and such
of the Bedouins whose tents we passed nearest to came out, and
questioned us on the objects of our journey. ^Te observed in these
people the same peculiarities of look and accent which had struck us
in our friend of the honeycomb, and they had a bluntness and
independence of manner and appearance which afforded us, toge-
ther with their simplicity, a good deal of pleasure and amusement.
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
389
They welcomed us in the true patriarchal style, with an offer of
shelter and refreshment, and we should have liked nothing better
than spending a week or two among them, and rambling about the
beautiful country which they occupied.
It often happens, however, that pleasure and duty are disagreeably
inconsistent with each other ; and the fine Arcadian lounge, that we
should willingly here have indulged in, would not have much for-
warded the objects of the mission*. The view which presented itself
from the top of the hill was no less pleasing than those which we had
enjoyed so much in ascending it. It had less of wildness than those
of the ravine, but quite sufficient to give additional interest to the
broad sweep of open country which lay stretched out before us, com-
prising a rich and varied succession of hills and vallies which lost
themselves in the blue horizon.
The open tracts of pasture and cultivated land scattered over this
charming scene were most agreeably diversified with clumps and
thickets of trees, and with flowering shrubs and flowers, in greater
profusion and variety than we had seen in our passage along the
ravine. Everything around us was green and smiling ; and whether
* It was to the rus in urbe that our destiny called us — to the ttoKIs ExXevfs- wxXaaov
ovofj.a xai dsfA-wv — wv ’KSTins, xtxi xaT7i<p7)s-, xai iqetmov ! as Gyrene is pathetically
described by Synesius; and we are sorry to say that the term rus in urbe may now be
well applied to this once beautiful city with even more correctness than to Ptolemeta ;
which we have already described as covered with vegetation, and presenting the appear-
ance of a solitary grass-grown tract of country, rather than of a once populous town.
Cattle feed evei-y where among the ruins of Gyrene, and its whole aspect is infinitely
more rural than civic.
390
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
we looked, in our progress, from the hill to the valley, or from the
valley to the side of the hill, the view was equally delightful.
After quitting the Arab tents, we entered a most beautiful valley
extending itself in a north-easterly and south-westerly direction;
and three hours more, over hills and through vales,^ which it would
be useless and almost endless to describe, we arrived at the plain of
Merge, a long sweep of flat country of mingled pasture and cultiva-
tion, bounded on either side by a range of wooded hills about five
miles distant from each other, and stretching from north-east to
south-west as far as the eye could reach. The water from the moun-
tains inclosing the plain settles in pools and lakes in different parts
of this spacious valley ; and affords a constant supply, during the
summer months, to the Bedouin tribes who frequent it. Although
the ranges of hills which we have described as inclosing it give to
Merge the appearance of a valley, it must be recollected that it is
situated on the top of a chain of mountains of no inconsiderable
elevation ; and if we have mentioned it as an extensive plain, it must
also be considered as a tract of table-land raised far above the level
of the sea. In looking over what we shall presently have occasion to
mention respecting the town and the neighbourhood of Barka, it will
be necessary to bear this in mind; but before we enter upon the
subject we must add to our journal the few incidents which occurred
during our stay at Merge.
It was not our intention to have remained a moment in this valley,
as we were anxious to get to Cyrene as soon as possible; but on sig-
nifying our intentions of proceeding farther, (for the day was not half
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
391
spent,) the camel-drivers refused to go on, alleging that Abou-Bukra
had hired them only to Merge. Abou-Bukra himself was not present
at the time, having ridden towards the other end of the valley where
the tents of Bey Halil, who had been some days at Merge, were
pitched near the tomb of a celebrated Marabut. As we had no
means of disproving the compact alleged, and the camel-drivers per-
sisted in their refusal to proceed, we did not think it worth while to
take any further trouble in endeavouring to overcome their scruples;
we therefore ordered the tents to be pitched and rode on to Bey
Hahl, fully expecting that he would furnish us with other camels to
enable us to continue our journey on the following morning. The
Bey received us as usual with the greatest civility, and promised the
camels at an early hour the next day, by which time, he added,
Shekh Hadood would most probably arrive and take the charge of
escorting us to Cyrene. The next day, however, no camels arrived,
and we again rode down to the tents of Bey Halil to learn the reason
of this unseasonable delay. We found the Bey’s tent filled with
Bedouin Arab Shekhs, who appeared to be in grand consultation,
and Halil had either been, or pretended to have been, persuading
them to furnish us with camels for the journey. The result of the
conclave was not, however, by any means favourable, for none of the
worthy Shekhs present would let us have their camels for less than
eighty dollars ; a demand so extremely exorbitant that we did not
hesitate a moment in declining it, and offered them at the same time
thirty, expecting that they would relax, as is usually the case with
them, when they found that we persisted in our refusal.
392
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
Half the day was, however, spent in sending backwards and for-
wards and still we could get no camels, Abou-Bukra himself making
a thousand professions of his readiness to obhge us on all occasions,
but giving us no proofs of it whatever. It required very little pene-
tiation to discover that this was evidently a concerted manoeuvre ;
and that Bey Halil was either unable to make any satisfactory
arrangement for us, or was himself a party in the plan. Abou Bukra
was certainly the principal agent in the affair, and the whole plot
was doubtless got up by him. He had mentioned no difficulties of
the kind at Ptolemeta, because the camel-drivers of Bengazi would
have offered to proceed with us to Cyrene, had he declined supplying
us on reasonable terms. The eighty dollars required by all the
Bedouin Shekhs was the sum which he wished to extract from us,
and the circumstance of the whole assembly being unanimous in the
demand was intended to be a proof of its fairness, he himself having
made no offer whatever, on the plea of not having camels enough at
his disposal. Bey Hahl very probably did not wish to interfere in
preventing his Arab friend from making what profit he could of us
(such an act being considered by Mahometans in general as extremely
unbrotherly, and not by any means called for); and with regard to
the Arabs, they willingly lend their services to one another on all
occasions of a similar nature*.
Finding the chances against us on this tack, we determined to try
One of the reasons alleged for putting so high a price upon the camels was the
probability of their eating the silphium which grows in the country we were about to
visit, and which has sometimes very fatal effects upon them.
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
393
another ; there being no end to Arab extortion when you have once
given them reason to suppose that you will submit to it. We accord-
ingly arranged that two of our party should set out with all speed
for Derna, to request Mahommed Bey would furnish us with camels,
which we knew he woidd immediately do. This manoeuvre suc-
ceeded, as we expected it would, in bringing about a favourable
change; but we had determined, in the event of being obliged to
put the threat in execution, to transport a tent and some provisions
to Ptolemeta, on the horses, where our time would be employed to
advantage till the camels from Derna arrived ; and, as the distance
from Merge to Ptolemeta was only a few hours, and the road could
not be mistaken, this plan would have been easily effected.
Abou-Bukra, however, no sooner perceived that we were in
earnest, than he offered to supply us himself with camels at a price
of forty dollars ; but as thirty was the sum we had ourselves pro-
posed, we declared that we would not make any other alteration in
it than by meeting him half way in his demand ; and as he had
begun to suspect that we kept to our word he made no further
difficulty in the matter, and agreed to bring his camels at thirty-
five. This he accordingly did, and Shekh Hadood not having yet
arrived we quitted Merge the next day, under convoy of Abou-
Bukra and our Bengazi Chaous, Kabdi, who had now recovered from
his illness, and joined us to resume his office.
During the time of our stay at Merge, we received a present of
several sheep from Bey Halil, for which we made a suitable return to
the Chaous who brought them, and took the opportunity of sending
394
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
by him a token of our regard to our old friend Hashi, the Bey’s
secretary.
We have already said that the water of Merge is collected in pools
in different parts of the valley ; and we soon found that in exchang-
ing that of the wells and cisterns which we had quitted for it, we
had not much improved the quality of our liquor. It was soon
discovered that the water we procured from the pools was not quite
so clear as it might have been, and we thought we perceived a peculiar
taste in it which did not seem to be its natural flavour.
A very little observation convinced us we were right; for the
pools were used by the Arabs, not only for drinking, but for washing
and bathing also ; and we soon found that the last-mentioned cere-
monies, though not often resorted to by Arabs in general, were more
particularly essential to the comfort of those at Merge, from circum-
stances which we would willingly conceal ; since they will scarcely be
considered as perfectly in character with the highly-romantic features
of the country which they inhabited.
We are not, at the same time, prepared to assert, that the causes
which more peculiarly call for ablution (considered as a matter of
comfort) did not actually exist in patriarchal days amidst scenes
such as we have described ; and if we do not find them hinted at in
the allusions to early times which are made in this age of refine-
ment, it is only, perhaps, that too minute a detail would be incon-
sistent with the ideas which we wish to excite of our forefathers.
In confessing that the Arabs who washed themselves in the pools
of Merge were induced to do so more frequently than they would
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
395
otherwise have done, from the alleviation which this operation
afforded to the pain of a well-known cutaneous disease, that it will
not be necessary to name, we must state, at the same time, that it is
by no means peculiar to them alone ; since the greater part of the
Arabs from Bengazi to Derna are afflicted with a similar complaint.
As they have either no effectual remedy for the disorder, or neglect
the precaution of applying it, the consequences must be distressing
in the extreme to them ; and it is certain, that their appearance is
not often remarkably prepossessing, and, perhaps, as we have said,
not altogether in character with the beautiful scenery about them.
We shall insist, notwithstanding this unlucky objection, that the
scenery of the country in the neighbourhood of Merge, is among
the most beautiful that we have ever beheld ; and that the people
who inhabit it are not the less patriarchal in their manners, and
customs, and appearance, because they happen to be afflicted with
a cutaneous disease the name of which has not usually been asso-
ciated, in modern times, with ideas of pastoral, or any other
enjoyments. At the same time, we confess that we did not feel
ourselves called upon to fill our water-skins any more from the
pool which we had hitherto used, when we found for what purposes
it was occasionally employed ; although the Arabs themselves could
see no sufficient reason why it should not be drank on that
account.
Near the centre of Merge is a ruin now called Mardbut Sidi
Arhooma, and a few miles to the south-east of it are remains of an
inconsiderable town which the Bey informed us had been built by a
3 E 2
396
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
celebrated Shereef, but of which so little is now remaining that the
plans of the buildings could not be satisfactorily ascertained.
The extensive plain (or valley) of Merge, for it is equally one and
the other, may be considered as occupying a part of the territory
within the ancient limits of Barca; and before we proceed with the
details of our journey, it will be proper to turn our attention to the
imperfect notices which have come down to us of the celebrated
city of that name. The limits assigned to the district of Barca by
the Arab historians and geographers comprise not only the whole of
the Cyrenaica, but, according to some, the whole tract of country
between Mesurata and Alexandria; while its actual limits (as we
have stated elsewhere) commence at the bottom of the Syrtis, extend-
ing themselves eastward as far as Derna, and, as we were also in-
formed, to the eastern extremity of the Bashaw of Tripoli’s dominions.
The ancient country of Barca was, however, confined to the western
parts of the Cyrenaica, and extended no farther in that direction
than to the eastern limits of the Hesperides. The port of Barca,
under the Lagidm, received the name of Ptolemais, and we have the
authorities of Strabo and Pliny for considering the last-mentioned
city and that of Barca as the same*. Ptolemy has, however, dis-
tinguished Barca from Ptolemais, and Scylax has described the
formei of these cities as situated at the distance of one hundred
stadia fiom the sea; so that no doubt can remain of their having
* Ei9 7) ■zrgoTs^ov, vvv Ss riToXsptais-. — (Strabo, Lib. xvii.) Deinde Ptolemais,
antiquo nomine Barce.— (Hist. Nat. Lib. v. c. 5.)
So also Stephanas ; Bocpxy,, A,Cuv^, >ca,
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
397
been different places As the distance of Scylax from the port to
the city of Barca is given in distance from the sea, we must look for
the latter (supposing the one hundred stadia to be correct, which we
have no sufficient reason to doubt) in some part of that range of
mountains which bounds the country between Bengazi and Ptolemeta
to the southward; and it appears extremely probable, that its site
should be fixed for in some part of the plain of Merge : it may be,
in the remains which have already been mentioned in the south-
eastern part of the valley. Here, however, a considerable difficulty
occurs, of the accounts of the city of Barca, which are given by early
Arab writers, are at all to be depended upon as correct ; for although
these accounts, in many respects, will be found to be extremely unsa-
tisfactory, they all appear to concur in placing the city in the neigh-
bourhood of a mountainous country, but, at the same time, rather in
a plain at the foot of it than in any part of the mountains themselves.
The distance, however, of Barca from the coast unavoidably places it
in some part of the range which we have mentioned ; for there is no
part of the plain between this range and the sea, (as will clearly ap-
pear by the chart,) which is distant anything like one hundred stadia
from the coast, with the exception of that to the southward of Ben-
gazi ; and to suppose the town of Barca there would be absurd, for it
would then be fifty miles distant from its port and only nine or ten
from the more convenient harbour of Berenice. Edrisi has given us
several distances to and from Barca; as — from Barca to Angela ten
^ E)£ Se Xi/xHvor rnr "Kifx.svos tov Kocra Ba^xvv araSia (p', •h Se tioKis Ba§xs<wv
a.710 ’bxXa.airts aracoix g. (Perip. p. 109.)
398
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
stations (or days’ journey), equal to two hundred and fifty Koman
miles. From Barka to Alexandria — twenty-one stations, or five
hundred and fifty M. P. From the promontory of Khanem (Cape
Mesurata) to Barka — four hundred and eighty M. P. The interme-
diate places between Barca and Alexandria, and between Mesurata
and Barka, are, at the same time, mentioned in detail ; but as few
of them correspond with the existing names of places in the same
routes we have no means of checking the numbers as they occur, or
of reckoning the distance of any known places in its neighbour-
hood from the city of Barca described. If the distances, also,
be taken in the aggregate, they will be found too considerable
to fix the site of the city with any sufficient precision. Were the
places of Aurar and Alhsal clearly decided upon we should
have more available data; and particularly if distances had been
given by Edrisi between Teuchira and Barca, and between Ptolemeta
and the last-mentioned city. The other Arab accounts, which we
allude to, of Barca, are as follows : —
In the work of Azizi, as cited by Abulfeda, we are told that “ there
are two mountains belonging to Barca, in which there is a great pro-
portion of excellent soil, numerous springs of fresh water, and many
tracts of cultivated land.” Provisions are mentioned as being at all
times very cheap there, and the inhabitants exported wine, and pitch,
extracted from the pine, to Egypt ; together with a great many head
of cattle of a small breed.
This refers to the district or territory of Barca ; and the city of
that name is described by the author just quoted as “ situated in an
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
399
extensive 'plain, the soil of which is of a reddish colour ; it has been
surrounded” (he adds) “ with a wall ever since the time of Mote-
wakkel, that is to say, from the year of the Hegira 240.”
Another Arab writer, whose name has not come down to us,
informs us, as cited by Silvestre de Sacy {Chrestomat. Arabe, Tom. ii.,
p. 521), that “ the city of Barca is situated in a country where the
soil and the buildings are red ; whence it happens that the clothes
of those who reside there partake of the same colour.”
It is then stated that, “ at six miles from Barca, is a mountain,’’’
and without mentioning at all in what direction, the author goes on
to say, that provisions were at all times very abundant and very
cheap in the country ; that the cattle thrived and multiphed in its
pastures ; and that the greater part of those killed in Egypt were
supphed from it. Bricks, honey, and pitch* (he adds) were also ex-
ported to Egypt, the latter of which was prepared in a place depen-
dant upon Barca called Maka, situated on a high mountain, of dif-
ficult access, which it was impossible to ascend on horseback. In
the city of Maka (he goes on to state) was the tomb of Rowaifa, one
of the companions of Mahomet, (for it seems there were two of that
name,) and this city was called, in the Greek language, Pentapolis^,
which means (says our author) five cities. The country (he adds)
produced a great variety of fruits, and there was a great proportion
of it covered with juniper ; the people about it were of different
Arab tribes, and of those called Lewata. On the road from Barca
* ^fidran, (goudron).
•f The Arab word is Bintablis.
400
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
(he. still continues) to Africa proper, is the valley of Masouyin (the
pronunciation of which name, says De Sacy, is uncertain) in which
are found remains of arches and gardens to the number, it is said, of
three hundred and sixty ; some of the gardens are cultivated, and
the wilderness, or desert tract, from which the hofiey is procured, is
situated in this \2l\ey.~-{Chrestomat. Arabe, Tom. ii. p. 521, 2.)
In the Geographia Nubiensis, Barca is described as a town of
moderate dimensions and narrow limits; and as being celebrated
for an earth called by its name, which was of great service, when
mixed with oil, in cutaneous diseases. It was of a reddish colour,
and if thrown into the fire smelt strongly of sulphur, emitting at
the same time a very offensive smoke; its taste is described as
execrable. (Geog. Nubien. p. 92.)
There can be no question that these writers had aU of them the
same place in view : the pecuharities which they attribute to it agree
too well to doubt it; but there is nothing in the description of any
by which the position of the city of Barca can be fixed (at least we
cannot see that there is) with any tolerable degree of accuracy.
The only mode of reconcifing the Arab accounts of Barca with
the distance which Scylax has given of that city from the sea, is to
suppose that the authors of them intended to describe it as situated
in some plain within the limits of the range of mountains mentioned
above ; and, under this idea, the extensive plain of Merge appears
to be the most eligible spot we are acquainted with for the position
of the town we are speaking of.
The position of Merge with regard to Ptolemeta, which has
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
401
already been identified with the ancient port of Barca, is extremely
favourable to this supposition. Two ravines, one of which is an
extremely good road, lead up directly to it from Ptolemeta ; and the
distance of any town, which might be built upon its plain, from the
sea would correspond sufficiently well with that which we have
quoted from Scylax. The peculiarities of soil which are attributed
by Arab writers to Barca, are at the same time observable in the
soil of the plain of Merge, which is of a decided reddish colour, and
stains the clothes of those who lie down upon it, as we have occasion
to know by experience. Again, one account says, that “ six miles
from Barca is a mountain and the ranges of mountains which
inclose the plain (or valley) of Merge are also six miles distant from
each other. Honey is also found in the valleys leading to Merge, as
it is said to have been in those leading to Barca; and the Arabs are
still in the habit of extracting a kind of resin, or turpentine, from
the fir, which might be the “ kidran” of the writers we have quoted.
These are all of them vague proofs, but, in the absence of better, we
are content to receive them in corroboration of the idea that Merge
is the plain intended by the writers in question ; although, after all,
it does not absolutely follow that the town described by them as
Barca should be clearly established as the ancient town of Barca
required.
The peculiarities ascribed to the territory of Barca — its numerous
springs, its excellent soil, its large supplies of cattle, its various kinds
of fruit trees, are all of them observable in the mountainous districts
of the Cyrenaica ; and there can be no doubt that these tracts are
402
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
part of the country alluded to by Arab writers as the territory of
Barca. Barca, under the Arabs, was a considerable province, but it
suffered materially from the tyranny of Yazouri and a great part
of its inhabitants abandoned their country and established them-
selves in Egypt and other places. Many of the emigrants settled in
Alexandria ; but when that city was afterwards laid waste by the
plague, in the dreadful manner described by Abd’ Allatif, more than
twenty thousand persons quitted it for Barca, and the province again
assumed a flourishing appearance f. #
The city known by the Arabs under the name of Barca never
appears to have been (in their time) of any importance ; but the
ancient city so called was (after Cyrene) the most considerable town
of the Cyrenaica ; and continued to flourish down to the time of the
Ptolemies when it appears to have been eclipsed by Ptolemais. Its
inhabitants were celebrated, like those of Cyrene, for their skill in
the management of horses and chariots ; the former of which arts
they are said to have received from Neptune, the latter from
Minerva; which is stating in other words that at a very early period
nothing was known of the origin of this custom in Africa. In the
age of Pindar the Cyrenaica was still celebrated for its excellent
^ Yazouri was Grand Khadi and governor of Egypt and Barca, in the i-eign of the
Caliph Mostanser-Billah. He was stripped of these posts, and of that of Vizier, which
he also held, in the year 450.
+ This author relates, that he himself was credibly informed, that on 07ie single day
(a Friday) the Imam at Ale.\andria had read the funeral service over seve7i hundred people !
— and that, in the space of a month, the same property had passed to fourteen persons
who inherited it in succession.
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
403
horses, and we find that it enjoyed the same reputation in the times
of the Arab historians. The breed has, however, (from whatever
cause,) degenerated considerably from its original character, and the
horses of Barca are not now to be compared with those of Arabia and
Egypt. The origin of the ancient city of Barca, or Barce, is related
by Herodotus (Melp. 160.), and many interesting particulars of it are
given in detail by the same writer. He states it to have been
founded by the brothers of Arcesilaus, King of Gyrene, (probably
about five hundred and fifteen years before the Christian era,) who
left him, in consequence of some dissensions, to inhabit another part
of the country ; where, after some deliberation (says the historian,)
they built the city which was then, as it is at present, called
Barce.
Others have supposed it to have been of Phoenician or Libyan
origin, Barca being a Phoenician name well known on the northern
coast of Africa, as we learn from Silius Italicus and other writers.
Servius intimates that its citizens came originally from Carthage,
which might suggest the probability that Barca, Dido’s brother,
who accompanied her into Africa with some of his countrymen,
established himself there and gave the name to the city and terri-
tory by which they were afterwards distinguished. The city was
taken and plundered by the Persians, under Amasis, after a long and
difficult siege (related in detail by Herodotus), and many of its inha-
bitants were sent prisoners to Darius Hystaspes, in whose reign this
event took place, and settled by that monarch in a district of Bactria
which was after them called Barce. The descendants of Battus
3 p a
404
PTOLEMETA TO MERGE.
were, however, left unmolested in the city ; which continued
(perhaps) to flourish, as we have already mentioned, till the building
of Ptolemais on the site of its ancient port ; to which place its
inhabitants are said to have retired in order to enrich themselves
by commerce.
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MERGE TO GYRENE.
405
CHAPTER XV.
JOURNEY FROM MERGE TO GYRENE.
Departure from Merge Deep Marks of Chariot-wheels on the Stony Road indicative of an
ancient Track — Valley of Bograta— Ancient Wells observed there— Valley of Hareebe
Beauty and Luxuriance of the Country continue — Roses of the Cyrenaica mentioned by
Athenaeus as celebrated for the excellence of their Perfume — Oil (or Ointment) of Roses
made at Cyrene in the time of Berenice (probably the Daughter of Magas)— Difficulty and
Danger of some Parts of the Road — Apprehensions of our Arab Conductors — They appear to
have been groundless— Arrive at Margad— Bad State of the Road continues— Quarrel
between Abou-Bukra and one of our Servants— Consequences of the Quarrel— Departure of
Abou-Bukra — Continue our Route alone and succeed in finding the right Track — Return of
Abou-Bukra and his people — Satisfactory Termination of the Disturbance — Oppressive
Sirocco Wind — Nature of the Country on approaching Cyrene — First Appearance of a Plant
resembling the Daucus, or Wild Carrot — Resemblance of this Plant to the Silphium, as
expressed on ancient Coins — Points in which it differs from it — Remarks on the Silphium as
mentioned by ancient Writers— Testimony of Herodotus, Arrian, Theophrastus, Pliny, Athe-
naeus—Bill of Fare of the Kings of Persia, stated by Polyaenus to have been discovered in the
royal Palace by Alexander the Great — Silphium mentioned in this among other articles of
Food— Description of the Plant by Theophrastus and Pliny— Celebrity and Scarcity of the
Silphium and of the Extract from it — Extraordinary Cause of the first Appearance of the Sil-
phium in the Cyrenaica, as mentioned by Pliny on the authority of Greek AYriters— Effects
produced by the Plant on the Sheep and Cattle who were allowed to eat it — Similar Effects
pioduced by the Plant observed by the Expedition on Camels — Extraordinary Medicinal
Qualities imputed to the Silphium by Pliny — The use of it recommended by the Roman
Naturalist as a sovereign remedy for almost everything but the Tooth-ache— Fatal Conse-
quences recorded by Pliny, of applying it in the Case last mentioned— Silphium offered by
the People of Cyrene to their first King Battus, as the most valuable Production of their
Country— State in which the Plant observed by the E.xpedition most resembles the Silphium
on the Coins of Cyrene — Partition of the Road from Merge to Cyrene— Extensive Traces of
Building observed along the ancient, or lower Road — Approach to Cyrene indicated by innu-
merable Sarcophagi and Tombs — Position of these along the sides of the Roads, as observable
at Pompeii and other ancient Towns — Frequent Traces of Chariot-wheels still observable
along the Roads, deeply indented in the rocky Soil of the Place — The earlier Tombs distin-
guished by their simplicity and good taste — The later by a more ornamented and less perfect
style — Busts and Statues scattered everywhere about among the Tombs — Difference of Style
and Character observable in these — Remains of an Aqueduct — Fountain of Cyrene.
406
MERGE TO GYRENE.
On the morning of the 29th, we left the plain of Merge and pro-
ceeded on our journey to Gyrene. The road, after crossing the
plain, leads over a rugged hill in which it has been cut ; and we soon
found from the deep and continued marks of chariot-wheels that we
Avere following an ancient track. F rom the hill we descended into a
beautiful valley named Bograta where we found some ancient wells
situated upon a rising ground in the centre of it, at which we watered
our horses. From hence we proceeded through a hilly country, well
clothed with trees of various kinds, and pitched our tents for the
night at Hareebe, a delightful valley, studded with olive-trees, and
possessing two wells of good water. The next day we passed
through other remarkably fine vallies, which we found for the most
part cultivated, and through copses and thickets of pine, cedar, laurel,
laurestinus, carob, cypress, myrtle, box, arbutus, and various other
trees and shrubs, which were flourishing in the greatest luxuriance.
Among these the convolvulus and honeysuckle twined themselves ;
and red and white roses, marigolds, and other flowers, with a great
variety of beautiful ferns, were everywhere scattered over the hills
and valhes *. Idle forms of the landscape were at the same time
* The flowers of the Cyrenaica are stated by Athenaeus to have been famous for the
odours which they emitted ; and we learn from the same author that a most excellent oil,
or ointment of roses, was made at Gyrene in the time of Berenice (the great Berenice, as
the author here terms her, wlro was probably the daughter of Magas). Both Arsinoe
and Berenice are said by Athenaeus to have been great jjatronesses of fragrant oils and
ointments at Alexandria ; and we may believe with probability, that the Rigges and Gat-
ties of Gyi-ene were equally encouraged by the royal protection. The roses which we
saw had however no smell, (probably from want of attention,) although the woodbine and
MERGE TO GYRENE.
407
remarkably picturesque; and here and there a ruin of some ancient
fortress, towering above the wood on the summit of a hill, contri-
buted to give character to the scene.
Our attention was occasionally called away (in climbing up, or
descending the steep and rocky sides of some of the hills over which
we passed) by the difficulty and danger of the roads ; and our horses
were continually slipping on the hard glassy surface which they pre-
sented ; notwithstanding we had used the precaution of taking off
one of their shoes and the others were frequently dropping off of
themselves, owing to the wearing away of the nails. As we passed
some of the woods our guides begged we would keep together lest
we should be fired at by some ill-disposed persons from among the
bushes ; but we soon found this caution to be perfectly unnecessary,
and continued to stray away in all directions without experiencing
the least molestation.
On the second night we pitched the tents at MargM where we
found a supply of water in an ancient cistern belonging to a fort on
the hill close to it. Here were also several Arab tents, with flocks of
sheep feeding about them. The Arabs received us very civilly,
always offering milk and Ibban, although our guides would have made
us believe that they were greatly averse to our passing through their
country. On quitting Margad, we pursued our route through
a country very similar to that of the preceding day ; but along
other plants were remarkably fragrant. Athenaeus’s words are : ypcpcatrs Ss xou ra ev
Six ■b'Xol'tov, xai Six ttjv A^mvoris xxi BEgenKy)? amvSriv, syivero Ss xxi sv
§oJivov x?'^<JTOTfltTov, xaS’ov x§ovov BEgEvtxTi -n txiyxXn. — (Deipnosoph. Lib. xv. c. 12.)
40S
MERGE TO GYRENE.
a much worse road, which obliged us to lead our horses nearly one
half of the way. We had not gone far before a quarrel took place
between Abou-Bukra and one of our servants, and the former, pre-
tending to be seriously affronted, took the opportunity (never
neglected by an Arab) of letting us know how necessary he was to us
and declared he would stay no longer. He accordingly rode off, and
all his people followed him, leaving the camels without any drivers,
in expectation no doubt that we should immediately ride after them
and entreat them to resume their occupations.
In this, however, we were determined not to gratify them, and
took no other notice of their departure than by teUing our servants
to drive the camels on themselves, which they managed to do very
well. The worst part of the story was our ignorance of the road,
and we were greatly at a loss, among the many narrow pathways that
led through the thickets, to determine on which we ought to take.
Unluckily our chaous knew no more of this road than ourselves ; but
we took the direction which we imagined to be the right one, and
contrived to get on with tolerable success.
Abou-Bukra had before been often trying to persuade us that the
Arabs of the place were much averse to our passing through their
territory, and expatiating on the value of his protection and influ-
ence; he probably imagined that we should be greatly alarmed at the
idea of being left to ourselves in a hostile country; and he knew, at
the same time, that we could not possibly be acquainted with a single
step of the road. His disappointment must, therefore, have been
very great, when he found that no one rode after him, or t.ook any
MERGE TO GYRENE.
409
measures towards effecting a reconciliation. In the mean time we
continued to get on very well, and were convinced that if we did so
we should soon be rejoined by the deserters ; accordingly, before the
day was concluded the whole party returned, and of their own
accord entered upon their several duties as before, just as if nothing
had happened. This was precisely what we had expected, and we
made no comments either upon their arrival or departure as if we
had been indifferent to both. Abou-Bukra was now all civility, and
his people drove the camels much better than ever they had done
before! Towards the close of the day we arrived at some Arab tents,
and pitched our own close to them for the night, in a valley for
which we could obtain no name ; but which, whatever might have
been its title, was certainly a very delightful one. During the last
two days a hot sirocco wind had been blowing, which rendered the
travelling extremely oppressive, especially during the heat of the
day ; on the afternoon of the third day, however, it suddenly
changed to the north-west and brought a smart shower of rain, which
cooled the air a good deal, and was the first which we had had for
some time.
The country from Margad to Grenna, the present Arab name for
Cyrene, is of the same hilly nature as that already described ; but on
approaching Cyrene it becomes more clear of wood, the vallies
produce fine crops of barley, and the hills excellent pasturage for
cattle.
It may here be proper to mention that, on the day after our
departure from Merge, we observed a plant about three feet in
410
iMERGE TO GYRENE.
height very much resembling the hemlock, or, more properly speaking
perhaps, the Daucas or wild carrot. We were told that it was usually
fatal to the camels who ate of it, and that its juice if apphed to
the flesh, would fester any part where there was the slightest excoria-
tion. This plant had much more resemblance to the silphium of
ancient times (as it is expressed on the coins of Cyrene) than any
which we had hitherto seen ; although its stem is much more slender
than that which is there represented, and the blossoms (for it
has several) more open. In some parts of the route from Merge to
Cyrene we lost sight of this plant altogether ; while at others we
found it in considerable quantities, growing chiefly wherever there
was pasturage. Immediately about Cyrene we observed it in great
abundance; and soon ceased, from its frequent occurrence, to pay
any particular attention to it.
It is extremely probable that the plant here mentioned is the
laserpitium or silphium in such repute among the ancients ; and it
may not here be amiss to collect a few of the remarks which have
been made at various periods respecting it.
According to Herodotus the silphium originally extended from
the island of Platea to the beginning of the Greater Syrtis*, a space
* Kca TO (Ti?v(piov a^x^roci aoro rovrov (the harbours of Menelaus and Aziris), Ttaqmst Ss
aoro UXarertr vmov rou oro/zctTor rm 'Lvpnos to SiXipiov. — (Melp. §^S').
Mr. Beloe is of opinion that Herodotus intended in this passage to point out the
limits of a place or province called Silphium, so named originally without any reference
to the plant ; and in his I’emarks on another passage in the same book — eiai h xai yaXxt sv
TO) oiXipLoj yivo/AEvai . . (§ bC.) he observes — “ I cannot help thinking that the herb was
named from the place and not the place from the herb.” But the space here included
MERGE TO GYRENE.
41]
including the whole of the mountainous district of the Cyrenaica ;
and Scylax, after mentioning the islands Aedonia and Plataea, informs
us that, heyond these (in passing from east to west) are the regions
which produce the silphium. We may also infer from a passage in
Arrian*, that the silphium extended itself over the whole of the fertile
part of the Cyrenaica to the confines of the desert which hounds it ;
since he tells us that the fertility of this country continued as far as
the limits of the silphium itself, and that heyond these boundaries
all was desert and sandy. Theophrastus also observes that the
silphium was found in the Cyrenaica, and that the greater portion of
it was produced from the country of the Hesperides in the parts
about the Greater Syrtisf. It appears to have sprung up in the
grass, or pasture lands, as the plant we have mentioned above also
does, and the sheep are reported to have been so fond of it that
by Herodotus comprehends the whole of the Cyrenaica, and there is no mention on other
occasions of this term as substituted either for Pentapolis or Cyrenaica, with which it
would, however, be synonymous if the reading proposed were adopted. We will not ven-
ture to dispute a point of this nature with a writer of Mr. Beloe’s talents and judgment ;
but there does not (on the whole) appear to be, in our estimation, any reason why to
2i>.ipiov, in the first passage quoted, should not be translated Silphium, (the plant;) or
why the words toj aiX(piio in the one last mentioned should not be supposed to mean
exclusively the place, or region, in which silphium is produced
* Axx’ V T»!S- AiSuvis £V rots s^uxorsoois WEWoXiff/iASvii, mtio^ns re tan xsci fj.aXBax.'n,
K0C.I tuiA^os, x.txi aXatx Ktx.i Xstf/,ct)vis, Jtai Ttavraiajv xat xrmseov wa[/.<po^os, ts rt tm rov atXtptov
rats tKlpvasis' to oiX^iov, ra, avu avrns t^riiatc/c xoli ^l/atfA/jia/Ssa. — (Hist. Ind. cap. xliii.)
■f T^ottov St TToXvv STirt^ti rvts AiQv'fts. TlXtico yag ^naiv ri rsrpotay^tXtat arotSiat. ra. nXtma St
yevau&ai oragi rr)ti Xupnv aaco rm Evtaart^tSm (Theophrast. irtqi ^vrm. L. iv. c. iii.)
® For a great many curious and valuable remarks on the silphium, in which the origin of the term is
also alluded to, see the comments on Theophrastus by Johan. Bodaeus at the end of the account of the
plant. — (Theopb. Fol, Anist. 1644.)
3 G 2
412
MERGE TO CYRENE.
whenever they smelt it they would rim to the place, and after eating
the flower, would scratch up the root and devour it with the same
avidity^. On this account (says Arrian, who has recorded the fact
just mentioned) some of the Cyreneans drive their sheep away from
the parts in which the silphium is produced ; and others surround their
land with hedges, through which the sheep are not able to pass when
they chance to approach near the plants f . Silphium appears to
have been found in many parts of Asia, as well as in some parts of
Europe; but that of Gyrene was much the most esteemed and con-
stituted a material part of the commerce of that country, as we find
from various authorities In the time of Pliny silphium (or laser-
pitium) had become so scarce in the market, that a single stalk of it
was presented to the Emperor Nero as a present (no doubt) of
extraordinary value ; and Strabo tells us that the barbarous tribes who
frequented the country about the Cyrenaica had nearly exterminated
the plant altogether (in an irruption which they made on some hostile
occasion) by pulling it designedly up by the roots ; from which we may
infer that the destruction of the silphium was considered as a material
* The effects of eating silphium (according to Pliny) were manifested in sheep by
their falling asleep, and in goats, by sneezing. Si quando incidit pecusin spem nascentis,
hoc deprehenditur signo : ove, cum comedeidt, dormienti protinus, capra sternuenti. —
(Lib. xix, c. iii).
■f* Etti TCiiSe EV ais ixxxqoraroj aTre’kxuvoiiaiv rxs ‘TTotfj.vas rcniv itia. Xici acvron to
mXipiov (pusrxi' oi Ss xxi Trs^i^^xcraovai rov %ii/§ov rou ixrtV a, TCsXxaicv ocvta rx TrqoQxra, Svvxra
yEVEO&ai Eiacu TTapsXSrEiv. — on tioXKov a^jov (he adds) Kf^nvcnoiy to tnX(pm. (Exped. Alex. Lib.
iii. c. xxix.)
X Among others, see Strabo, Lib. xvii. and Pliny, Lib. xix. and xxii.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
413
injury to Cyrene*. We have already mentioned in our account of
the Syrtis (on the authority of the same writer) that the silphium
and the liquor which was extracted from it formed material articles
of a contraband trade at Charax, where they were exchanged with
the Carthaginians for winef. And we have ventured, on the same
occasion, to differ in opinion with Dr. Della Celia as to the propriety
of adopting the change in Strabo’s text proposed by that gentleman
(p. 79); as it sufficiently appears, from various authorities, that both
the plant and the extract were articles of commerce, and not the
extract only, as the Doctor has stated. This is evident from the
remarks of ancient writers on the subject ."j: ; and it is also certain
* It appears, however, that the laser, or extract of the silphium, was not difficult to
be met with in the reign of Severus, as we learn from Galen (de Temperant. L. iii. c. iii.
simpl. Medic. Fac. L. viii. and de Antidot. L. ii. p. 440. Edit. Basil. The plant, at the
present day, is common in the high grounds about Gyrene, but we did not meet with
it in the neighbourhood of Berenice and the Hesperian gardens, where it seems to have
been formerly most abundant.
t This was probably the (poivixior oivor (or palm wine) of Athenseus, much esteemed by
the ancients ; or the vinum Byblinum another Garthaginlan wine in great repute, and
said to be at fii'st taste more grateful than the Lesbian. Tov S’ a7ro<pomxrii rov
Xivov aivai (says Archestratus as quoted by Athenseus) sav avrov ygycr/!, ixr,
'^goaS’sv &eis-, evcoSvn fxsv aoi So^ei tov AtaQiov mat f^aXkov. — Deipnosoph. Lib. i. c. 23.
Palm wine was drunk at Susa and Babylon by the Kings of Persia, as we find from Poly-
senus, Stratagem. Lib. iv.
f Among others Athenseus (in the words of Eubulus) as quoted in the Deipnosophista
— (Lib. 1.).... KxvXov EX KapxnSovo! xxi aiXipm. Here we see the stalk or stem decidedly
mentioned with either the root or the exti-act of the silphium (more probably the former)
as an article of export from Garthage ; and procured (we may infer) by the Garthaginian
traders from Gharax, since they had no silphium in their own country. Again, Anti-
phanes (the nSiaros Avn(pxms) as quoted by Athenseus ; or ev rai ^i\o9n<Sxtaj (p-nmv. — AiSvs
re xott/Xor s^'/ipyarfj.evos stxruji S'eixis' aiKiptou rcxpxarxrei. — (Lib. xiv. c. iv).
414
MERGE TO GYRENE.
that the liquor (or otoc roy a-tXipiov, in Latin termed Laser) was obtained
from the stem as well as from the root, as Theophrastus, and Pliny
(on his authority) have testified * * * §.
It is evident also from both these authors that the stem of the
silphium was in request as an article of food, and was eaten in several
ways f. This appears equally in Athenaeus ; and we find both the
extract, and the plant, very decidedly mentioned in the bill of fare
of the Persian monarchs, as given by Polymnus (Stratagem ata. Lib.
iv.) and which was discovered by Alexander the Great, engraved on
a brazen column in the royal palace. Here we see two pounds, and
upwards, of the extract, or juice of the silphium, termed by Pliny
Laser ; and a talent weight (about sixty-five pounds) of the plant
itself in the list:]:. What the extract of the silphium was like we
will not pretend to say ; but the stem and the root appear to have
been eaten much in the same way that we eat celery, (which indeed
it very much resembles,) either stewed or boiled §.
* Succus duobusmodis capiebatur, e radice atque caule. — (Hist. Nat. L. xix).
Ottov Sa SiTTov (says Theojihrastus) tov /xav a^rt rov xayXoy, tov Sa o.tco rris Sio
naXovai TOV fxev Kaj/Xisuv, tov ^a — (Lib iv. mpi Ot/Twv).
t Post folia amissa (says Pliny) caule ipso et homines vescebantur, decocto, asso,
elixoque : — Theophrastus’ words ai’e, — yusra. Se ravtcx. xccvXov aoS'ieo'&ai oravTat Tgoarov «ya&ov,
i(p3‘ov, arcrot. — (Lib. iv.)
4 Owoy iTiXlpiOLi Svo /xvai ariXlpiov TizXavTOv <TTa&/xci;“.
If the king supped at Babylon, or at Susa, half the quantity of wine supplied for the
meal was palm wine, the other half, the juice of the grape, orav S'a ev BaS’t/Xwvi, ■« ev
^ouaois, rov /xav 7)/xi(Taa ex raiv (poivixcuv oivov ‘sragej^ei, tov Se mfjuanoi a/xweXivov. — Polyaeni Stra-
tagem. Lib. iv. 32.)
§ Among a great many other articles, consumed every day at the dinner and supper
* Taking the mina at 1 lb. 1 oz., the talent (which was always sixty minae) would give sixty-five pounds.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
415
I'he silphium is described by Theophrastus as a plant with a
large and thick root ; and the stem, he tells us, resembled that of the
ferula, and was of about the same thickness. The leaf which, he
says, was termed maspetum (^fcairmrov), resembled that of parsley : the
seed was broad and foliaceous : the stem annual, like that of the
ferula*. Pliny’s account is copied from that of Theophrastus; but
he has given us at the same time whatever information he could
collect of the silphium and its properties in the age in which he
himself lived. He informs us that— the celebrated plant Laserpi-
tium, which the Greeks call silphium, was found in the Cyrenaica ;
and that the juice, or liquor, extracted from it was termed Laser; a
drug so famous for its medicinal qualities that it was sold by the
of the Persian kings, as enumerated in the list we have quoted, we find four hundred
sheep, one hundred oxen, thirty horses, three hundred lambs, thirty stags, or gazelles,
four hundred fatted geese, three hundred pigeons, and six hundred other birds of
various kinds ! So much solid food was not, however, cooked without a proportionate
seasoning ; and we find a talent weight (say sixty -five lbs.) of garlic among the numerous
other condiments employed on these occasions.
The Macedonians in the suite of Alexander, while they expressed their astonishment
at its profusion, applauded the magnificence of the royal table, and the good taste of
the Persian monarchs. But the ardent son of Philip (though by no means a friend to
abstinence) was prudent enough to discourage, on this occasion, the commendation of
luxuries so superfluous and expensive, and ordered the column to be taken down,
observing at the same time that so prodigious a meal was unnecessary ; that such excess
of indulgence and prodigality could scarcely fail to produce timidity and efleminacy ;
and tha.t they who had dined or supped so enormously must necessarily afford an easy
victory to their opponents.
* To Ss otX(p(ov /xsv nciKkrt)) xau Tioc'/jiia.v, tov Se x.a.vXov nXiKov vap6ri^. Ss xat
TW ora5(,£i '7lQi.^a.TiXri(no\. rov Ss (pyXXov, o xa.Xovai /xasowsrov, o/zoiov to csiXtvu. i7TCsqfji<x S’ TsXarv,
(pnXXciiSn^r, oiov rov Xsyofjvsvov (pvXXov. — (Lib. iv. c. iii.)
416
MERGE TO GYRENE.
denarius*, seven of which, or eight drams, were equal to the
English avoirdupois ounce, which was the same with the Roman.
For many years past (he continues) no silphium has been found
in the Cyrenaica ; the owners of the land having thought it more
profitable to turn their sheep and cattle into the pasture lands
(where the silphium, as we have before mentioned, is produced) than
to preserve the plant as formerly. One only stem of it (it is Pliny
who speaks) has been found in my recollection, which was sent to
the Emperor Nero. And of late no other laser has been brought to
us than that which grows extensively in Persia, Media, and Armenia,
and which is very inferior to that of the Cyrenaica, being at the
same time adulterated with gum, sagapeurn, and pounded beans.
We learn from the same author that in the consulships of C. Vale-
rius, and M. Herennius, thirty lbs. of laserpitium was brought into
Rome, which seems to have been considered as a very fortunate
occurrence ; and that Caesar, when dictator, at the commencement of
the civil war, took from the public treasury, with the gold and
silver which he carried away from it, an hundred and eleven pounds
of the silphium (or laserpitium f) ; which proves how valuable the
plant was at Rome, as, indeed, might be reasonably inferred from the
circumstance of its being found in the treasury at all.
The first appearance of the silphium in the Cyrenaica is said by
Pliny (on the authority of Greek writers) to have been occasioned
* Ad pondus argenti denarii pensum.
t Most probably the laser or extract, which was the most valuable ; though Pliny’s
word is laserpitium.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
417
by a sudden and heavy fall of rain, resembling which completely
drenched the ground in the neighbourhood of the Hesperian
Gardens and of the eastern confines of the Greater Syrtis. This
miraculous shower is said to have occurred seven years before the
building of the city of Cyrene ; which was erected (says Pliny) in
the year of Rome 143. He adds, also, on the authority of Theo-
phrastus, (the author to whom he chiefly alludes in quoting Greek
authorities above,) that the silphium extended itself over a space of
four thousand stadia, and that its nature was wild and unadapted to
cultivation, retiring towards the desert whenever it was too much
attended to. We have already observed that great care was taken
by the ancients to preserve the silphium from the sheep and cattle,
the former of which were remarkably fond of it : when allowed to be
eaten, it first acted medicinally upon the animals, and afterwards
fattened them exceedingly ; giving at the same time an excellent
flavour to the flesh. Whenever they were ill, it either speedily
restored them, or else destroyed them altogether ; but the first of
these effects was most usual. It is probable, however, that it only
agreed with those animals which were accustomed to it ; at least the
plant now observable in the Cyrenaica, which answers to the
description of the silphium, is very frequently productive of fatal
effects to the animals (particularly the camels) who eat of it, not
being accustomed to the soil. One of the reasons advanced by the
son of Shekh Hadood, Abou-Buckra, for putting a high price upon
his camels at Merge (on the occasion already before the reader) was
that they were going into the country where the silphium was
found, which, he said, was very dangerous for them to eat ; and the
418
MERGE TO GYRENE.
camels which were sent to us from Bengazi, when we were about to
leave Grenna, were kept muzzled during the whole time of their
stay in those parts where the plant was known to be produced.
With regard to the effects of the silphium upon bipeds, (we mean
those of the human race,) a few extracts from PHny will fully suffice
to convince us that it does not yield in omnipotence even to the
famed balm of Gilead ; or to that well known specific, and sovereign
remedy for all complaints, distinguished by the humble title of Eau
de Cologne. Certes, (observes this author, in concluding the remarks
which we have quoted below upon the wonderful efficacy of his
specific,) “ if I should take in hand to particularize of the vertues
that laser hath, being mingled with other matter in confections, I
should never make an end and the reader will probably be some-
what of his opinion, before he has waded through half the wondrous
qualities attributed to the omnipotent silphium. We give them in
the good old Enghsh version of Holland*.
* The leaves of the plant, steeped in white wine, were, it seems, a most extraordinary
specific*; and “ the root is singular” (it is Pliny who speaks) “for to cleare the wind-
pipes, and to take away all the asperitie and roughness in these parts ; and being applied
in the form of a liniment it helpeth imposthumat inflamations proceeding from the rank-
nesse and ebullition of blood. A liniment thereof made with wine and oile is a most
familiar and agreeable medecine for the black and blue marks remaining after stripes ;
but if the same with some adition of wax be reduced into a cerot it helpeth the kings
evill. As for the liquor laser (continues our naturalist) issuing from Silphium, in that
manner as I have shewed, it is holden for one of the most singular gifts that nature hath
bestowed upon the world, and entereth into many excellent confections and compositions.
Of itselfe alone, it reduceth those to their natural health who are starven and benumbed
» Nam folia ad expurgandas vulvas pellendosque eraortuos partus decoquuntur in vino albo odorato, ut
bibatur mensura acetabuli a balineis. — Adde — Laser, e silphio profluens fseminis datur in vivo. Et lanis
mollibus admovetur vulvse ad menses ciendos.— (Hist. Nat. Lib. xxii. c. xxiii.)
MERGE TO GYRENE.
419
We may add that the silphium was offered by the people of
Cyrene to their first king, Battus, whom they deified, as the most
with extreme cold. Taken in drinke it allaieth tlie accidents and grief of the nerves.
A great restorative it is with meat, and quickly setteth them on foot who have lien long
and been brought low by sicknesse : for laser, if it be applied in due time, is as good as
a potentiall cauterie to raise a blister; outwardly applied no man maketh doubt but it
is of singular operation and worketh many effects. Taken in drinke it doth e.xtinguish
the venome left in the bodie, either by poisoned dart or serpents’ sting : and if the
w'ounds be annointed with the same dissolved in water it is the better ; but particularly
for the pricks of scorpions it would be applied with oile. Being laid too, with rue or
honey, or by itselfe alone, (so that the place be annointed over it with some viscous gum
to keepe it too, that it run not off,) it is excellent for the carbuncle and the biting of dogs.
Being incorporate with sal-nitre and well wrought withall beforehand, and so applied, it
taketh away the hard horns and dead corns arising in the feet, which commonly bee
called in latin morticinl. Tempered with wine, and saffron or pepper, if it be but with
mice-dung and vinegre, it is a good incarnative in ulcers; and an excellent drawer to
the outward parts for to fill up the skin and make a bodie fat. A good fomentation
there is made of it and wine for to bath kibed heels ; for which purpose it is boiled in
oyle and so apply ed.
“ In like manner it serveth to soften, hard callosities in any place whatsoever : and for
the foresaid corns of the feet especially, if they be scraped and scan-ified before, it is of
great efficacee. Singular it is against unwholesome waters, pestilent tracts, and conta-
gious aires; as in times suspected of infection. Soveraigne it is for the cough, the fall
of the uvula, and an old jaundice or overflowing of the gall; for the dropsie also, and
horsenesse of the throat ; for presently it scowrelh the pipes, cleareth the voice againe,
and maketh It audible. If it be infused and dissolved in water and vinegre, and so
applyed with a spunge, it assuageth the gout. Taken in a broth, or thin supping, it is
good for the pleurisie, especially if the patient propose to drinke wine after it. Being
covered all over with wax to the quantitie of one “ cich pease it is given very well in case
of contractions and shrinking of sinews, and namely to such as carrie their heads back-
ward perforce, by occasion of some crick or cramp. For the squinance it is good to
gargarize therewith. Semblably it is given with leeks and vinegre to those that
wheaze in their chest and be short-winded, and have an old cough sticking long
by them : likewise with vinegre alone to such as have supped off and drunke quailed
* Ciceris magnitudine cera circunlitum.
3 H 2
420
MERGE TO GYRENE.
valuable production of their country ; and we have already observed
that a representation of the plant is found on the reverse of their
coins.
The resemblance of this representation to the plant which we
found in the Cyrenaicais most conspicuous when the plant is young;
and before the flower has quite opened, or the stem has attained its
greatest height
A little to the north-west of Margad the road branches off in two
directions towards Cyrene. The lower road, or that which is to the
northward of the other, is the proper and ancient road ; and traces
milke which is cluttered within their stomacke. Taken in wine it is singular for
the faintings about the heart ; as also for colliquations and such as are falne away and
far gone in a consumption, and for those that be taken with the falling sickuesse : but
in honied water it hath a special! operation respective to the palsie, or resolution of the
tongue. With sodden honey and laser together, there is made a liniment very propor
to anoint the region of the hucklebone where the sciatica is seated ; and the small of the
backe to allay the paine of the loins. I would not give counselle (continues our author)
as many writers doe prescribe) for to put it in the concavatie or hole of a decayed tooth,
and so to stop up the place close with wax, for feare of that which might ensue there-
upon : for I have seene the fearfnll sequele of that experiment, in a man, who upon the
taking of that medecine, threw himself headlong from an high loft and broke his necke ;
such intollerable pains he sustained of the toothach : and no marvelle ; for doe but an-
noint the mussle, or nose of a bull therewith it will set him on a fire and make him home
mad : and being mingled with wine, if serpents (as they are most greedie of wine) chance
to lap or licke thereof, it will cause them to burst. And therefore I would not advise
any to be annointed with it and honey of Athens incorporat together ; howsoever there
bee physicians who set downe such a receit.” (Nat. Hist. Book xxii. c. xxiii.)
* This plant, from its succulent nature, is very difficult to preserve ; and we are
sorry to say that the specimens which we had collected of it (together with many others
of the Cyrenaic plants) got mouldy for want of more attention than we were able to
bestow upon them. We understand, however, that Captain Smyth has succeeded in
bringing over a specimen of the silphium in good condition, and that the plant is now
growing in Devonshire and thriving remarkably well.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
421
of building are every where discernible in passing along this route,
as we were able to ascertain in our return from Cyrene, which will
hereafter be described. The southern road, however, is that which
Abou-Bukra selected in escorting us from Merge to Grenna ; and
we afterwards learnt that he had done so in consequence of the feud
which he had upon his hands, (already alluded to above,) which
rendered it unsafe for him to travel along the road most usually
frequented. We had passed the remains of some strongly built forts
in our route from Margad to Cyrene, and after ascending the high
ground to the northward of Wady Bobkasaisheeta we came in sight
of the numerous, we might almost say innumerable, tombs whicli
encumber the outskirts of the town. It is well known that the
burial-places of the ancients were usually without the walls of their
cities ; and we find the tombs of Cyrene, (hke those of Pompeii and
other places,) ranged along the sides of the roads by which the town
is approached, and occupying, at the same time, the greater part of
the space intervening between one road and another*. When we
reflect that the inhabitants of this celebrated city have laid their
mortal remains on the soil which surrounded it for more than
twenty-four centuries, we shall not be surprised at the multitude of
* It was not, however, unfrequerit to bury persons of moi-e than ordinary worth and
consideration within the walls; and the most frequented and conspicuous places were in
such cases selected for the tombs, or monuments, which the gratitude of citizens reared
in the midst of their families. The Lacedaimonians, whose laws and customs were usually
in direct opposition to the other states of Greece, allowed the dead to be buried indis-
criminately within the walls of their cities, as we are told by Plutarch in his life of
Lycurgus.
422
MERGE TO GYRENE.
tombs which are evei7 where scattered over its neighbourhood.
They are all of stone, either constructed on the surface, or excavated
in the rocky soil of the district ; and as most of them have been
defiiced, or laid in ruins, (for there is not one of them which has not
been opened,) the wreck of material with which the soil is encum-
bered may be more easily imagined than described. The road, when
we had descended into the plain of Cyrene, continued to wind through
the tombs and sarcophagi, and along the edges of the (juarries in
which the subterranean tombs have been excavated, for more than a
mile and a half ; we observed that it was occasionally cut through
the rocky soil, and that marks of chariot wheels were still very
evident in many parts of its stony surface.
These approaches to the town, for there are several of them, as
will be seen by the plan, have the appearance of ruined and deserted
streets ; the tombs ranged on each side of them supi^lying the places
of houses. The solemnity, we can scarcely say the gloom, of this
effect is, however, enlivened by the variety of style which charac-
terises the architecture, as well as by the difference in the plans
and sizes of the tombs, and in the degrees of labour and finish
bestowed upon them. The earlier tombs may be distinguished
by their simplicity and good taste, the later by a more orna-
mented and a more vitiated style. A similar difference of style
may be observed in the busts and statues, which are scattered about
among the tombs ; some of which have the Greek and some the
Roman cast of countenance and costume, portrayed in the several
manners peculiar to each nation, according to the age of the perfor-
mance.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
4-23
We were at first induced to stop at every object of importance
which presented itself in our passage through these regions of the
dead ; but we soon found that such delays, however agreeable, would
make it night before we reached the city itself if we continued to
indulge in them as our inclination prompted ; and we bade our con-
ductor (the chaous from Bengazi) lead on to that part of it which he
himself considered to be most worthy of particular attention. The
taste of the African displayed itself on this occasion precisely in the
manner which we had expected it would do ; and after passing for
some little distance along the edge of a ravine where we perceived the
remains of an aqueduct, he descended by a gentle slope into a level
spot of ground, overspread with remains of building, till we found
ourselves at the foot of a perpendicular clilF and heard the grateful
sound of running water. Nothing further was necessary to rouse
the drooping energies of our horses, fatigued with the day’s journey,
and parched with tliirst from the heat of the weather; they sprang
forward instinctively, without the stimulus of whip or spur, and
plunging up to their knees in the cool clear stream drank deep of
the fountain of Cyrene.
We are by no means indifferent to the beauties of antiquity, —
nay we often imagine ourselves to be among their most ardent
admirers ; but we confess, to our shame, that, on this occasion, we
followed the example of the poor beasts who carried us, and, spring-
ing from our saddles, took a copious draught of the fountain before
we turned to pay our homage to the shrine from which it flowed*.
* The fountain of Cyrene was a consecrated stream, and the face of the I’ock from
which it flows was originally adorned with a portico like that of a temple.
424
MERGE TO GYRENE.
CHAPTEK XVI.
Description of the Fountain — Excavations which enclose it — Sculptured Tablet discovered
at the entrance of one of the Chambers — Early Character of its Style — Beautiful Bas-
Relief in white Marble discovered near the Fountain — Indications of Porticoes in front of
the excavated Chambers — Greek Inscription cut over one of them — Remains in front of the
Fountain — Aqueduct above it — Peripteral Temple, probably of Diana — Female Statue dis-
covered there — Position of Cyrene — Delightful View from the Town — Excavated Galleries
and Tombs — Nature and Style of the Tombs — Variety displayed in the disposition of their
Interiors — Remains of Painting discovered in them — Suite of what appear to be Allegorical
Compositions, painted on the Metopes of one of the Doric Tombs — Practice, at Cyrene, of
painting the several Members of Architecture — Remarks connected with this Practice.
It is not often that an Arab takes an interest in his part when he
finds himself called upon to support the character of a Cicerone ;
but Chaous Eabdi had no sooner quenched his own thirst, and
allowed his tired horse to drink as much as he chose, than he was
eager to point out to us such of the wonders as were congenial with
his taste for antiquities. He entered upon his office by desiring us
particularly to remark, that this water was not stagnant like that of
the wells which we had seen in other parts of the country; but that
it actually ran, exactly like a river, and afforded a copious and a con-
stant supply, even in the driest seasons ! The exultation with which
our sturdy chaous pronounced the latter part of his harangue was
fully equal to that which the most ardent of antiquaries might dis-
play in pointing out a valuable coin or gem in his collection, which
he considered to be the only one of the kind ever found ; and we
were no doubt considered by our worthy conductor as little less than
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MERGE TO GYRENE.
425
Goths or Vandals, when, after having given a short assent to the
truth of this remark, we turned towards the mountain from which
the water issued, and entering an excavated chamber which presented
itself, began to examine its connexion with the stream.
We found that a channel had been cut from this apartment far
into the bowels of the rock, (at the height of about five feet from
the level of the chamber,) along which the water flowed rapidly
from the interior, and precipitated itself in a little cascade into a
basin, formed to receive it, on a level with the floor of the apart-
ment : from hence it passed out into the open space in front of the
mountain. The channel forms a passage of about four feet in height,
and is about three feet in breadth ; the sides and roof are flat, but
the bed of the stream, which occupies the whole width of the
passage, is worn into irregular forms by the strong and constant
action of the water.
We inquired of the Chaous how far the channel continued to
wind into the heart of the rock, and what it eventually led to ; but
he could only inform us that its length had never been ascertained,
and that it was known to be the haunt of demons and fairies, as the
Arabs of the place (he said) could testify! It would have been
useless to assert our disbelief of this statement, that is, of the latter
part of it ; and having satisfied ourselves by examining this myste-
rious passage, as far as the day-light extended, and ascertaining that
it continued still farther into the mountain, we determined to take
an early opportunity of bringing lights and exploring it to the end,
and proceeded to examine the other parts of the excavation. On
31
426
MERGE TO GYRENE.
one side of the cascade are two excavated chambers, or rather one
chamber divided into two compartments ; and in the farther division
is a second basin, sunk below the level of the chamber, which appears
to have originally communicated with the stream by means of a small
aperture in the rock just above it ; but no water at present finds its
way through this opening, and the basin would be dry were it not
for the rain which washes into it from without during the winter
season. It is probable that this reservoir was originally devoted to
the service of the priests who had the charge of the sacred stream,
in the performance of their religious ceremonies. Nearly opposite
to it is what appears to have be€?n the principal entrance ; and we
found here a tablet, broken in two pieces, which seems to have fallen
from over the doorway, and near it the fragment of a fluted, engaged
column. On the tablet is sculptured three female figures, joining
hands as if performing a sacred dance: the mode of executing the
draperies in this bas-relief would seem to point it out as belonging
to a very early period ; and the difference of style between it and
another bas-relief which we found near it, representing a female
figure crowning a term, will be obvious on a reference to the plates
of the two performances given. The last-mentioned tablet is of white
marble, in excellent style, and finished with all the delicacy and taste
of the most refined periods : the upper part of it appeared at first
sight to be naked, but on a more attentive inspection it was found
to be covered with what is evidently intended for a light, transparent,
drapery, the few folds of which are very slightly, though very clearly
defined, and result with great propriety as well as simplicity from
MERGE TO GYRENE.
427
the easy and graceful action of the figure. As the tablet has lain
for ages with its face towards the ground, the polish still remains
very conspicuously upon its surface ; and contributes to give an
additional air of finish to this tasteful and interesting performance.
The group we first mentioned is executed in sandstone ; and it
will be seen that the style of it, although characterised by archaism,
is by no means deficient either in sentiment or taste, or distinguished
by an ignorance of the rules of art. The faces in both of these
tablets have been mutilated, and other parts of the compositions, as
will be seen by the plates, are wanting.
In front of the fountain two porticoes appear to have been
erected, if we judge from the channels which are cut in the surface
of the rock, into which the pediments seem to have been inserted ;
and on a part of the cliff, at right angles with the face of the rock, is
an inscription in Doric Greek recording the name of a priest who
built one of the porticoes in question *.
It is probable that the separation of a part of the cliff* from the
rest, in consequence of the foundation having given way, was the
cause of the destruction of the portico of Dionysius, (the name which
is mentioned in the inscription ;) no other indications of which now
remain except the marks we have alluded to in the surface of the
rock. The front of the fountain is however much encumbered with
soil, washed down by the winter rains from above ; and parts of the
* LirAIONYZIOZZnXA
lEPEITEYflNTANKPANAN
EPEZKEYAZE
3 I 2
428
MERGE TO GYRENE.
portico may yet be found beneath it should this place be excavated
at any future period : the chambers within are also much encum-
bered with the same material, washed in through the entrance where
the tablet was discovered, and it is by no means improbable that
interesting remains might be found underneath the soil which is
collected there.
There is a good deal of building in front of the mountain (without
the hmits which we may suppose to have been occupied by the
portico of Dionysius,) of which it seems difficult to establish the
nature ; if it be not in some way connected with the reception of the
water, and its distribution over the town of Cyrene. It appears to
us that the stream was originally confined, and raised by lateral
compression to a height sufficient to allow of its being conducted
into different parts of the town, the level of which is considerably
above that of the fountain itself ; but in what precise manner this
object was accomplished we will not here venture to suggest. The
remains of an aqueduct are still visible on the brow of the hill,
from which the cliff descends perpendicularly to the fountain,
leading from thence to the brink of a ravine on the opposite side,
down which also flows another stream of excellent water. From
the traces of building which we perceived about this ravine we
should imagine that the aqueduct had been formerly thrown
across it, and the water distributed over the cultivated grounds
which lie without the walls of the city ; at present the stream
which flows down it, as well as that of the fountain already
described, finds its way over the country below into the sea,
MERGE TO GYRENE.
4-29
and is no otherwise serviceable than as it affords an occasional
draught to the Bedouins who frequent the neighbourhood during
the summer, and to the cattle who drink with their masters. The
excavated chambers of the fountain of Apollo * are occupied at this
season by flocks of sheep and goats, and the whole of the level space
in front of the mountain is thickly covered at such times with these
animals, as well as with numerous herds of cattle, attracted thither
by the water which now strays over its surface. When we first
arrived at Cyrene these intruders had not made their appearance ;
and we rambled about, to our great comfort and satisfaction, without
meeting a single living creature besides those of our own party in
the day time, and a few jackalls and hyaenas in the morning and
evening, which always ran off* on our approach.
After satisfying our thirst, and, in some degree, our curiosity, at the
fountain, we descended a few feet to some remains which we per-
ceived on a level piece of ground below it ; and found that they were
those of a peripteral temple which, from the fragment of an inscrip-
tion that we discovered among its ruins, mentioning the name of
the Goddess, appears to have been dedicated to Diana.
Little more than the ground-plan of this temple is now remaining,
and' most of the columns are buried beneath the soil ; we were able,
* In speaking of the fountain to which the Libyans conducted the founders of Cyrene,
Herodotus says, avasyovTEr Je etti xq-nmv A'ltoWmos, eittocv — “AvS^ej
ExXrivEr, evTocuToc vixiv iTcirri^sov ontEEiv' svra.uTx yocq o ovqavo^ rErp-nrat.’' — (Meip. §voi').
And as the stream here alluded to is the principal fountain of the place we may sup-
pose it with probability to have been that of Apollo.
430
MERGE TO GYRENE.
however, to ascertain that the portico was hexastyle, and the columns
about four feet and a half in diameter : those on the south side are
so completely buried that no traces of them whatever are visible ;
but from those which are still in their places on the opposite side we
were led to suppose that the number of columns was no more than
ten, instead of eleven, which is the usual proportion in peripteral
temples according to the rules laid down by Vitruvius *. As the
number of lateral intercolumniations would not, with this disposition,
be double the number of those in the front, the whole length of the
temple in question could not be equal to twice its breadth, which
we accordingly find to be the case : and it is probable, therefore, that
the sedes, or body of the temple, was built before the other parts of
it, and that the columns and porticoes were added at a subsequent
period, and the number of pillars regulated by the dimensions of
what was already constructed. At the same time the width of
the intercolumniations does not appear to have been greater than
seven feet, which is scarcely more (as compared with the size of
the shaft) than the shortest space allowed between columns in Greek
and Koman architecture f. There are no columns, at either end.
* There are, however, many exceptions to this rule, which does not appear to have
been by any means generally adopted by the Gi-eeks. The number of columns on the
flanks of temples seem to have been usually (at the same time) more than double the
number in front, and seldom less by more than one, the proportion given by Vitruvius.
t The jjycnostyle is the least intercolumniation allowed by Vitruvius, and is one dia-
meter and a half of the column at the bottom of the shaft ; but neither this proportion,
nor that of the systyle, which is equal to two diameters of the column, are recommended
by him for general adoption: since “the matrons (he adds) who go to their sup-
plications, mutually supporting each other, cannot pass through the intercolumniations
MERGE TO GYRENE.
431
between the ante in this temple; and the walls of the aedes must
have been continued from the angle till they reached the jambs of
the doorways. If the statue of the deity looked towards the west (as
recommended by Vitruvius, chap, v.) * it must have been placed in
the pronaos, and not in the cella, to have been seen through the
doorway from without ; for the wall which divides the cella from the
pronaos continued too far across the interior to have allowed of any
door in the centre of it, opening from one of these to the other, (as
will appear by the plan ;) and it would be absurd to look for a com -
munication between them in any other part of the wall. Under this
disposition, had the statue been in the cella, and its face turned
towards the west, it must have looked against the wall in question ;
and could not have been seen at all from the western front of the
temple f. From the portions of Doric entablature which we per-
(those of the pycnostyle and systyle dimensions are intended) unless they separate and
walk in ranks. The view of the entrance, and of the statues themselves, is also obstructed
when the columns are placed so little apart; and the ambulatory, whose width is
govenied by the interval between the columns, is inconvenient from its being so narrow.”
— Wilkins’s Vitruvius, vol. i. p. 11, 12.
* “ The temples of the gods ought to be so placed that the statue, which has its sta-
tion in the cella, should, if there be nothing to interfere with such a disposition, face the
west; in order that those who come to make oblations and offer sacrifices may face the
east, when their view is directed towards the statue : and those who come to impose upon
themselves the performance of vows, may have the temple and the east immediately
before them. Thus the statues they regal'd will appear as if rising from the east and
looking down upon the suppliants.” — (Wilkins’s Vitruvius, vol. i. p. 79.)
■f The most ancient position of temples appears to have been east and west, with the
entrance, or frontispiece, towards the west ; and the statue of the deity looking towards
the same point ; so that they who worshipped should have their faces turned towards the
rising sun. The contrary aspect was, however, adopted at an early period, and appears
to have been universal in later ages whenever local causes did not interfere with such an
arrangement.
432
MERGE TO GYRENE.
ceived among the mins of this temple, we may conjecture that it
was of that order ; but we could no where discover any parts of the
capitals belonging to the columns, and the bases, if ever there were
any, are buried under the soil which has accumulated about the
building. It will be seen by the plate (page 430) that there is a
building attached to this temple on the northward which has no con-
nection w ith its original plan ; and there are other remains of build-
ing beyond these, and to the westward of them, which will require
excavation to determine their plans. We have already mentioned
the fragment from which we have ventured to conjecture that the
temple was dedicated to Diana ; and we may add that a mutilated
female figure (of which we have given a drawing, page 427) was
also found close to its northern wall. The statue, it will be seen, is
in a sitting position ; and a part of the chair only was visible when
we first discovered it among the heavy fragments of building with
which it was encumbered, as well as with the soil which had
accumulated about it. We succeeded, however, after some trouble
in clearing it, and were rather disappointed at finding so little
of it remaining. The girdle which encircles the waist of this
figure has been executed with great care and precision; it is
represented as closely tied, and the ends of it, which hang down
in front, are finished with little tassels strongly relieved from
the surface of the drapery; this object, in fact, seems to have
been one of primary importance with the sculptor, and may have
been intended (if we suppose it to have been the statue of
Diana) to point out symbolically the peculiar characteristic of
MERGE TO GYRENE.
433
the godde.ss, her attachment to (or rather her profession of) per-
petual cehbacy^.
It was between the remains of the temple of Diana and the foun-
tain that we discovered the beautiful bas-relief of white marble
which we have already mentioned above; and near it we found the
torso of a male figure the size of life (also of white marble) executed
in the best style of Grecian sculpture.
A little beyond this temple the level tract of ground stretching out
from the base of the cliff from which the fountain issues is terminated
by a strongly-built wall, the top of which is even with the surface ; it
has been built for the purpose of keeping uj) the soil, which would
otherwise, from the abrupt descent of the ground, be washed down by
the winter rains and the buildings upon it exposed to be undermined.
This wall, which is a very conspicuous object from below, must have
formed in its perfect state an admirable defence, as it would have
effectually precluded the possibility of any approach to the place
from the country beneath. Since the waters of the fountain have
been left to their natural course the stream pours itself over the top
of the wall in a pretty, romantic-looking cascade; the effect of which
is heightened by the trees growing up against the barrier, amongst
whose branches the water dashes in its passage to the plains below.
A few paces beyond the first wall the ground again descends abruptly
and is kept up by a similar structure ; after which it continues to do
* The closely-drawn girdle of the ladies of antiquity, like the snood of the Scottish
maidens, was symbolical of an unmarried state; and to loosen it was part of the nuptial
ceremony.
434
MERGE TO GYRENE.
so more rapidly, each descent being quickly succeeded by another,
till they finish altogether at the foot of the mountain.
The position of Cyrene is, in fact, on the edge of a range of hills of
about eight hundred feet in height, descending in galleries, one below
another, till they are terminated by the level ground which forms the
summit of a second range beneath it. At the foot of the upper
range, on which the city was built, is a fine sweep of table-land most
beautifully varied with wood, among which are scattered tracts of
barley and corn, and meadows which are covered for a great part
of the year with verdure. Kavines, whose sides are thickly covered
with trees, intersect the country in various directions, and form the
channels of the mountain-streams in their passage from the upper
range to the sea. The varied tract of table-land of which we are
speaking extends itself east and west as far as the eye can reach ; and
to the northward (after stretching about five miles in that direction)
it descends abruptly to the sea. The lower chain, which runs all along
the coast of the Cyrenaica, is here, as it is at Ptolemeta and other
places, thickly covered with wood, and intersected, like the upper range,
with wild and romantic ravines; which assume grander features as
they approach the sea. The height of the lower chain may be esti-
mated at a thousand feet, and Cyrene, as situated on the summit of
the upper one, is elevated about eighteen hundred feet from the level
of the sea, of which it commands an extensive view over the top of
the range below it*. For a day or two after our first arrival at
* The height of the upper range from the level of the sea, as obtained by Captain
Smyth from a sea base, was 1575 feet. — The dip of the visible sea horizon, x'epeatedly
MERGE TO GYRENE.
433
Cyrene a thick haze had settled over the coast, and we were not
aware that the sea was seen so plainly from the town as we after-
wards found it to have been. When the mist cleared away the view
was truly magnificent; and may be said to be one of those which
remain impressed upon the mind, undiminished in interest by a
comparison with others, and as strongly depicted there after a lapse
of many years as if it were still before the eyes. We shall never
forget the first effect of this scene (on approaching the edge of the
height on which Cyrene is situated} when the fine sweep of land which
lies stretched at the foot of the range hurst suddenly upon us in all
its varied forms and tints ; and imagination painted the depth of
the descent from the summit of the distant hills beneath us to the
coast, terminated by the long uninterrupted line of blue, which
was distinguished rising high in the misty horizon. If we knew
in what the powers of description consisted we should be tempted
to employ them on this occasion ; and would endeavour to convey
to the minds of our readers the same impressions of the beautiful
position of Cyrene which the view of it suggested to ourselves.
But one glance of the eye is, we fear, worth more, in calling up the
feelings which are produced by fine scenery, than all that description
is capable of effecting ; and the impressions which time will never
efface from our own minds would never (it is probable) be stamped, by
words of ours, on the minds of those in whom we could wish to excite
measured by us with a theodolite from the summit, was 42' 00'', which, adding -jL for
terrestrial refraction, gives 2003 feet for the height — the mean of these, which we have
is 1805 feet.
3 K 2
436
MERGE TO GYRENE.
them. Under this conviction we will turn from the view before us,
and proceed to describe a very remarkable peculiarity in the northern
face of the heights of Cyrene. We have already stated that the
side of the mountain descends abruptly, in this direction, to the plain
below ; not by a single, unbroken descent, but in ledges, or galleries,
one above another, which terminate only in the plain itself The
Cyreneans have judiciously taken advantage of this formation, and
shaped the ridges alluded to into practicable roads leading along the
side of the mountain, which have originally communicated in some
instances one with another by means of narrow flights of steps cut in
the rock. The roads are to this day very plainly indented with the
marks of chariot wheels deeply sunk in their smooth stony surface ;
and appear to have been the favourite drives of the inhabitants who
enjoyed from them the delightful view which we have despaired of
being able to place before our readers. The rock, in most instances,
rises perpendicularly from one side of these aerial galleries, and is
excavated into innumerable tombs, which have been formed with
great labour and taste, and the greater number of them have been
adorned with architectural facades built against the smooth side of
the rock itself, contributing materially to increase the interest,
and to add to the beauty of the drives. When the rock would serve
for the porticoes in front of the tombs, without any addition of build-
ing, it was left in the forms required ; and if only a part of it would
serve, the remainder was added by the architect. This mode of jjro-
ceeding added greatly to the strength of the work, and was probably
attended, at the same time, with a saving of labour. The outer sides
MERGE TO GYRENE.
437
of the roads, where they descended from one range to another, were
ornamented with sarcophagi and monumental tombs, and the whole
sloping space between the galleries was completely filled up with
similar structures. These, as well as the excavated tombs, exhibit
very superior taste and execution ; and the clusters of dark green
furze and slender shrubs with which they are now partly overgrown,
give an additional effect, by their contrast of forms and colour, to
the multitude of white buildings which spring up from the midst of
them. We have endeavoured in the drawing here annexed, to give
some idea of this remarkable scene ; but although we have copied it
with fidelity, and with all the care which our time allowed, the effect
of our view falls very far short of that which is produced by the scene
itself*.
On leaving the fountain and the temple of Diana we descended
the side of the hill and took our course along the galleries we have
mentioned, passing with some difficulty from one to another, through
the thick furze with which the ground is overspread, and entering
the most conspicuous of the excavated tombs which we passed in our
route along the roads.
They usually consisted of a single chamber; at the end of which,
opposite the doorway, was an elegant, highly finished facade, almost
always of the Doric order, cut in the smooth surface of the rock itself
with great regularity and beauty of execution. It generally repre-
■* We may add, that the circumstance of being obliged to reduce our dravving (which
is a large one) to the size of a quarto plate, has, at the same time, operated to its dis-
advantage, as might naturally indeed have been expected.
438
MERGE TO GYRENE.
sented a portico, and the number of columns by which it was sup-
posed to be supported varied according to the length of the tomb.
The spaces between the columns themselves also varied ; the porticoes
being sometimes monotriglyph, and sometimes ditriglyph, according
to the fancy of the architect. Between the columns were the cellm (if
we may call them so) for the reception of the ashes or the bodies of
the deceased, cut far into the rock, at right angles with the facade ; and
the height of these was necessarily regulated by that of the columns
from the level of the chamber*. As the spaces between the columns
were wider, or otherwise, the width of the cellm varied accordingly,
there never being more than one of these recesses between any two of
the columns. The cellse had often separate facades on a smaller scale
than the principal one, but always of the same order ; and they were
occasionally made to represent doorways: the entrance to them
appears to have been originally closed with a tablet of stone on which
there was probably some inscription recording the. names of the
persons within. In some instances part of such a tablet was left
standing, but we never found one entire in any of the tombs, and
very rarely saw fragments of them at all. As most of the chambers
are, however, much encumbered with soil washed in by the rains
through the doorway of the tomb, it is probable that some of these
might be found entire on excavating either the chambers themselves,
* It must be recollected that these facades were merely representations of porticoes,
and that the columns did not project farther from the surface than half their own
diameter.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
439
or the ground immediately about the entrance to them*. The
cellse were sometimes sunk to a considerable depth below the levels
of the chambers, and contained ranges of bodies or cineral urns
placed one above another, each division being separated from that
above and beneath it by a slab of stone, resting on a projecting
moulding which was raised on two sides of the cella. There are also
divisions, in many instances, in the length of the cellae, some of them
containing three and four places for bodies on the same level, but
these are always ranged (to use a naval phrase) head and stern of
each other ; and we never saw an instance in which any two of them
were parallel. In fact, the width of the cella, which, we have already
stated, was regulated by the space between the columns, would have
rendered such an arrangement impossible, since it was of the same
breadth in aU parts, whatever might be its extent in length and depth.
For a more complete idea of these elegant mansions of the dead we
refer our readers to the plates containing the ground-plans and ele-
vations of such of them as we had time to secure on paper. It will be
seen that the proportions of the several members of the entablature
varied considerably in the few instances given ; and indeed, we may say
that there are scarcely two facades where the measurements exactly
correspond-f.
* All the excavated tombs were not provided with antechambers, and the celloe in
such cases commenced from the surface of the external fa9ade.
4 The metopes are often far from being square, and the mutules ai-e placed at dif-
ferent distances from the triglyphs according to the fancy of the architect. The capital
of the triglyphs Is very rarely continued, in the same line, across the metopes ; but is
almost always deeper in the last-mentioned division, forming a moulding in the space
between the triglyphs, which gives an air of finish tp this part of the entablature.
440
MERGE TO GYRENE.
There were, however, very few instances in which the established
laws of proportion, so far as propriety and apparent security are
Above the capital of the triglyphs, between it and the cymatium below the corona, there is
usually a band or fillet, of the samede23th, for the most part, with the capital, and on the
same plane with it ; and the capital itself sometimes projects a little beyond the femora
of the triglyph, and sometimes is on the same level with it. The cymatium below the corona
is for the most part much deeper than the usual proportion of that member ; which appears
to have been done in order to show the ornament upon it, which would not otherwise,
from the projection of the corona and the depth of the mutules, be conspicuous. The
proportion of the corona itself also varies, and the scotia beneath it is sometimes intro-
duced, and sometimes omitted altogether. Much difference exists in the depth of the
cyma, as well as in that of its fastigiura ; and the lions’ heads, which are often sculp-
tured upon it, are sometimes introduced and sometimes omitted. Whenever these
are placed, as they usually are, over the axes of the columns, an ornament repre-
senting the end of a tile is often found to accompany them, placed on the fastigium,
exactly over the centre of the metopes. There is also a difference in the depth
of the regulse and mutules, as well as in the thickness and depth of the guttse, the form
of the latter being sometimes conical and sometimes cylindrical, and on some occasions
almost square. The upper part of the two outer channels of the triglyphs are some-
times cut parallel with the line of the capital ; but more frequently inclined a little
downwards, so as to meet the bottom of the moulding above the metopes, which we have
already stated is not often in a line with that of the capitals of the triglyphs. The depth
of the taenia, also, and that of the epistylium (or architrave) varies in different instances ;
as well as the proportions of the columns themselves, and those of their abaci, or plinths :
the latter are generally surmounted with an elegantly proportioned cymatium, which is
itself almost always crowned with a fillet. We may add that the curve of the echinus
also varies, but is usually of a light and elegant proportion ; and the annulets sometimes
follow the line of the curve, and sometimes range with that of the hypotrachelium : the
number of these occasionally two, but more frequently three ; and the upper and lower
ones (in the last-mentioned instance) are frequently cut square, while the central one
forms an angle, the apex of which projects beyond the two others. This, however, only
occurs when the annulets range with the shafts of the columns, for when they range with
the line of the echinus they are generally cut like the teeth of a saw, as the central one
is in the instance just mentioned. We observed that for the most part when annulets
were adopted there were no channels, or grooves, hollowed in the hypoti'achelium, and
this equally obtained whether the annulets followed the line of the echinus or that of the
MERGE TO GYRENE.
441
concerned, were in any way materially violated, (at least, we may say,
not in our opinion ;) and the eye is seldom offended by an appearance
either of weakness or clumsiness in the columns, or of heaviness or
insignificance in their entablatures. There is at the same time a
good deal of variety in the disposition of the interiors, and the
workmanship is usually very good, and occasionally, indeed very
shaft. There was commonly a fillet dividing the channels, or fluting of the shaft, the pro-
portion of which was not always the same, and we rarely saw any fluting where these
were not adopted, and very seldom any columns where the shafts were left plain. The
difficulty of preserving the edges of the fluting with nicety, and of keeping them from
being chipped and broken, appears to have been the reason for adopting the fillet ; for
as the proportions of the facades, particularly those of the interior ones, were necessarily
on a small scale, the edges of the fluting, where no fillet was used, must have been nearly
as sharp as the edge of a sword, and consequently very liable to accident. We may add
that the width of the fillet accommodated itself to the entasis of the shaft, and was con-
tinued round the upper part of the channels, so as to form the crown of the hypotra-
chelium, when no annulets W'ere made use of ; for in that case the channels finished in
these, forming au elegant curve from the line of the column to the lowest of the annulets,
w'hich sometimes projected considerably from the upper part of the shaft. With regard
to the disposition of the triglyphs with respect to the columns, we usually found them
placed over the axes of the latter, with sometimes one, and sometimes two intervening,
as we have already mentioned above ; with the exception, however, of those at the
extremities of the zophorus, which were sometimes placed in the angle, and sometimes
a little removed from it, being in the latter case placed over the joint centre of the half
column and pilaster which usually terminated the fa9ade at both extremities. We must
remark, with respect to the introduction of the pilaster conjointly with the columns at
the angles, that the shafts and the capitals W'ere not wholly relieved from the surface,
although they were more so than half their diameter. It must be recollected at the
same time that the whole fa9ade was generally formed in the rock itself, and had conse-
quently no w'eight to support, and no internal arrangements to which it was necessary
that it should be accommodated. The placing of the triglyphs was therefore purely
optional, and might be adapted to the taste or the fancy of the architect, who was thus
enabled to follow his own ideas of proportion and arrangement, without reference to any
standard but the eye.
442
MERGE TO GYRENE.
frequently, admirable. In several of the excavated tombs we
discovered remains of painting, representing historical, allego-
rical, and pastoral subjects, executed in the manner of those of
Herculaneum and Pompeii, some of which were by no means in-
ferior, when perfect, to the best compositions which have come
down to us of those cities. In one of the chambers, which we shall
hereafter describe, we found a suite of what appear to be allego-
rical subjects, executed with great freedom of pencil and still ex-
hibiting uncommon richness of colour. The composition and design
of these groups display at the same time great knowledge of the art,
and do credit to the classic taste and good feeling of the painter. It
appears extremely probable that all the excavated tombs were origi-
nally adorned with paintings in body colour representing either com-
positions of figures or of animals, or at any rate devices and patterns.
We ascertained very clearly that the different members of the archi-
tecture have also in many instances been coloured ; and these exam-
ples may be adduced in further confirmation of what has been inferred
from the recent discoveries at Athens— that the Greeks (like the
Egyptians) were in the habit of painting their buildings ; thus de-
stroying the simplicity and sullying the modest hue of their Parian and
Pentelic marbles! We do not allude to the representation of figures
or compositions, which might rather, perhaps, be considered orna-
mental than otherwise; but to the actual disfigurement of the
several members of the architecture by covering them with strong
and gaudy colours ; a practice as revolting to good taste and propriety
as that of dressing the Apollo (if we may suppose such profanation)
MERGE TO CTKEJNE.
443
in a gold-laced coat and waistcoat; or the Venus of Praxiteles in
stiff stays and petticoats. We are sorry to observe that the practice
we allude to does not appear to be the result of any occasional
caprice or fancy, but of a generally established system ; for the colours
of the several parts do not seem to have materially varied in any two
instances with which we are acquainted. The same colours are
used for the same members of the architecture in so many of the
tombs at Cyrene, that we can scarcely doubt that one particular
colour was appropriated by general consent or practice to each of the
several parts of the buildings. The triglyphs, for instance, with their
capitals, were invariably painted blue in all the examples we know of
where their colours are still remaining ; and the regulae and mutules,
together with their guttm, were always of the same colour, as was
also the fillet which we have described as intervening between the
capitals of the triglyphs and the cymatium below the corona. The
soffit of the corona was also painted blue, in the parts which were
occupied by the mutules ; and the space between the latter, together
with the scotia, were at the same time painted red : the sides of the
mutules, and the upper part of the moulding which we have men-
tioned as running along the tops of the metopes, together with the
tcenia, or fillet, below the triglyphs, were equally of a red colour.
Patterns were at the same time very frequently painted, chiefly in
blue and red, on the cymatia of the entablature and of the plinths of
the capitals ; and this was equally the case when the patterns were
cut as well as when they were put in in outline. The central annulet
was usually painted blue and the upper and lower ones red ; and
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444
MEKUJK TO GYRENE.
when there were only two they were both painted red, which was
sometimes the only colour employed when there were three. We
could not ascertain what particular colour was used for the abacus
and echinus, for we seldom found any traces of colour remaining
either upon them or upon the shafts of the columns. In one or two
instances, however, the abacus seems to have been red, and in one
which we have given in plate (p. 452), it appears to have been some-
thing of a lilac colour. The colours of the metopes and architraves
must also be left in uncertainty ; and, indeed, it may perhaps be
inferred from our never finding any positive colour remaining upon
them, that the larger parts of the entablature were left plain, and
that the smaller, or ornamental, parts only were painted. We are
ourselves inclined to think that this was the case, as well with regard
to the entablature as to the columns ; for we should otherwise have
found the parts in question occasionally painted, which we do not
recollect to have decidedly seen.
It may here be remarked, with respect to what appears to have
been the established colour of the triglyphs at Cyrene, that there is
a singular correspondence between this practice of the Cyreneans and
that which is attributed by Vitruvius to the artificers of early times
when wood was used instead of stone in the construction of their
buildings. For the parts which, in the wooden structures alluded to,
corresponded to the triglyphs of later periods, are said by this author
to have been covered with blue wax ; and we have already stated
that blue was the prevailing colour of the triglyphs in buildings of
all classes at Cyrene. It would thus appear that the colours, like
MERGE TO GYRENE.
44.5
the forms, of buildings, were adopted in imitation of early custom ;
and this circumstance will alone sufficiently account for the uni-
formity, in point of colour, of one building with another ; and may
be considered as a reason why fancy or caprice were not allowed,
in these instances, to have their usual weight among a people
who were strenuously attached to the practices and customs of
their ancestors. “In imitation of these early inventions, and of
works executed in timber,” (says Vitruvius, in the words of Mr.
Wilkins, his English translator,) “ the ancients, in constructing
their edifices of stone or marble, adopted the forms which were
there observed to exist. It was a general practice among the
artificers of former times to lay beams transversely upon the
walls; the intervals between them were then closed, and the
whole surmounted with coronm and fastigia of pleasing forms,
executed in wood. The projecting parts were afterwards cut
away, so that the ends of the beams and the walls were in the
same plane ; but the sections presenting a rude appearance, tablets,
formed like the triglyphs of more modern buildings, and covered
with blue wax, were affixed to them, by which expedient the ends,
which before offended the eye, now produced a pleasing effect.
Thus the ancient disposition of the beams supporting the roof
is the original to which we may attribute the introduction of
triglyphs into Doric buildings.” (Wilkins’s Vitruvius, vol. i. p.
63, 4.)
Whatever may be the truth of these remarks of Vitruvius respect-
ing the origin of the triglyph, it is singular that there should be so
446
MERGE TO GYRENE.
decided a coincidence between the practice which he has mentioned
and that of the Cyreneans ; we have in consequence been induced to
lay the passage just quoted before the reader, and to submit to those
who are most competent to decide the question, how far this analogy
may be the result of accident, or how far it may be safely considered
as obtaining in compliance with ancient custom.
Among the tombs which have been excavated on the northern
face of the heights of Cyrene there are several on a much larger scale
than the rest ; some of these appear to have been public vaults and
contain a considerable number of cellse ; others seem to have been
appropriated to single families, and in two instances we found large
excavated tombs containing each a sarcophagus of white marble
ornamented with figures and wreaths of flowers raised in jehef on
the exteriors. We suspect these to be Koman ; but the work-
manship of both is excellent and the polish still remains upon
them in great perfection.
We have already mentioned a ravine to the westward of Cyrene,
on the brink of which stands a portion of the aqueduct of which
traces have been described as still remaining above the fountain.
This ravine, which forms the bed of a stream of excellent water, is
highly picturesque and romantic ; it deepens gradually in its course
towards the sea, and is thickly overgrown with clusters of oleander
and myrtle which are blooming in the greatest luxuriance amidst
the rocks overhanging the stream. On the western side of the ravine
we found that galleries had been formed, similar to those already
described on the northern face of the rock of Cyrene, and that
MERGE TO GYRENE.
447
tombs had equally been excavated there to which the galleries in
question conducted. The deep marks of chariot wheels along the
galleries prove that these also had formerly been used as roads ; and
the romantic beauty of their situation, on the very brink of the steep
descent to the bed of the torrent below, must have rendered them
very delightful ones. There seems to have been originally a parapet
wall along the dangerous parts of the road, (we mean those where
the descent is very abrupt,) for there are considerable traces of one
still extant about three feet from the ground : in some places, how-
ever, (where the road is not more than three feet in width, with
the high, perpendicular rock on one side, and an abrupt descent to
the torrent on the other,) there is no such defence now remaining ;
and the passage from one part of the gallery to the other is not here
quite so safe for nervous people as it might be. The steep sides of
the descent are thickly overgrown with the most beautiful flowering-
shrubs and creepers, and tall trees are growing in the wildest forms
and positions above and below the roads. The Duke of Clarence
(when the choice of his death was proposed to him) had a fancy to
be drowned in a butt of malmsey ; and we think, if we found our-
selves in a similar dilemma, that we should pitch upon some part
of this charming ravine, as the spot from which we could hurl
ourselves through myrtles and oleanders into the pure stream which
dashes below, with more pleasure than one could leap with from life
into death in most other places that we know of. We must, how-
ever, confess that in passing along the dangerous parts of the galleries
here alluded to, no such fancy ever entered our heads; and we
448
MERGE TO GYRENE.
took especial care, notwithstanding the beauty of the descent, to
keep closer to the high rock on one side of the road than to the
edge of the charming precipice on the other.
There is a good deal of building, of very excellent construction,
about the stream which runs along the bottom of the ravine ; and
the water seems originally to have been inclosed, and covered in, and
(we think) also raised to a considerable height above its bed, (as
appears to have been the case in the fountain of Apollo,) to be dis-
tributed over the country in its neighbourhood. It is difficult to
say in what precise manner this end may have been accomplished ;
and whether or not the water so raised was connected with the aque-
duct which has already been mentioned as running down to this
ravine from the edge of the cliff above the principal fountain ; and
which we have also stated appears to have crossed it, and to have
been continued on the opposite side. As the supply from both
fountains is plentiful and constant it would be well worth the labour
and expense of preserving; and the level of both would render
them comparatively useless to the town, as well as to the high
o-round about it, unless some means of raising the water were re-
sorted to. They who had leisure to examine the remains of building
connected with these two streams, attentively; and were able,
at the same time, to bring to the search a sufficient knowledge
of the principles of hydraulics and hydrostatics, would find the
inquiry a very interesting one ; for our own part we confess that,
without enjoying either of these advantages, we were usually tempted
to bestow a portion of our time, when passing along the ravine in
MERGE TO GYRENE.
449
question, in trying to collect from the existing remains how far they
may have been conducive to the object we have attributed to them.
At something less than a quarter of a mile from the commencement
of this ravine, the stream which flows down it is joined by another,
issuing out from the rock on its western side, and a basin has been
formed in the rock itself for its reception. In front of this third foun-
tain there are considerable traces of building, which are however so
much buried by the accumulation of soil, and encumbered with shrubs
and vegetation, that nothing satisfactory can be made out from them.
The spot is now (like that in front of the fountain of Apollo) a
favourite retreat for the sheep and cattle of the Bedouins who occa-
sionally visit Cyrene ; and our appearance often put them to a pre-
cipitate flight, and the old women and children, who usually tended
them, to a good deal of trouble in collecting them together again.
These annoyances (we must say, in justice to the sex) were borne for
the most part very good-naturedly ; and we usually joined them in
pursuit of the family quadrupeds with every disposition to assist them
to the utmost. Indeed the Arab women in general, of all ranks and
ages, are remarkable for patience and good nature ; and we have often
seen both these qualities in our fair African friends, put to very
severe trials without suffering any apparent diminution. Their
greatest failings seem to be vanity and jealousy ; and these are
surely too natural and too inconsiderable to merit any serious repre-
hension, more especially in a barbarous nation. Curiosity is at the
same time, with them, as it is said to be with the sex in general, a
quality in very extensive circulation ; and if we could have stopped
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>
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MERGE TO GYRENE.
to answer all the various odd questions which the good ladies of
Gyrene proposed to us, we should have employed the whole day in
replying to them. By the help of a few little trinkets, however,
which we usually carried about with us, we contrived to put an end
to the conversation, without any offence, whenever it began to
exceed moderate limits ; and continued our route under a shower of
pious wishes that the blessing of God might attend us.
In passing along the galleries we have mentioned in this ravine,
there are a great many excavated tombs, some of which are very
beautifully finished, and one of them presents the only example
which we remember to have met with at Gyrene of a mixture of two
orders of architecture in the same part of a building — the portico
in front of this tomb being supported by Ionic columns, surmounted
with a Doric entablature. The whole portico is formed out of the
rock itself, which has been left in the manner formerly alluded to,
and advances a few feet before the wall of the chamber in which
the door is excavated. The proportions are bad, and no part of
the tomb has anything particular to recommend it to notice beyond
the peculiarity we have stated it to possess ; but as it is the only
instance which we observed of the kind, we have thought it as well
to advert to it. The tympanum is here placed immediately over
the zophorus, without any cornice intervening, and the mutules are
in consequence omitted*. Like many other excavated tombs at
Gyrene, the one now in question has no cellse beyond the chamber ;
* In the tomb of Theron at Agrigentum we have a similar instance of a Doric enta-
blature supported by Ionic columns.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
451
and the places for the bodies were sunk in the floor itself and
covered with tablets of stone. In such cases we often see that
two, or more, bodies have been ranged parallel with each other
round the sides of the chamber, in the manner represented in the
ground-plans (page 464), a circumstance which never occurs in
the cellm, as we have already stated above.
The galleries which are formed in one side of this ravine lead
round the cliff into another valley, somewhat broader, in which are
also several excavated tombs. In one of these, which has been
furnished with a Doric portico, Mr. Campbell discovered the suite
of beautiful little subjects which we have given with all the fidelity
we could command in the plate (page 456). They are painted on
the zophorus 'of an interior facade, of which we have given the
elevation ; and each composition occupies one of the metopes, the
pannel of which appears to have been left plain in order to set
off the colours of the figures. The outline of these highly
finished little groups has been very carefully put in with red:
the local colour of the flesh and draperies have then been filled
in with body colour, and the lights touched on sharp, with
a full and free pencil, which reminded us strongly of the beau-
tiful execution of the paintings at Herculaneum and Pompeii.
There is no other attempt at light and shadow in any of them but
that of deepening the local colour of the drapery in two or three
places, where the folds are intended to be more strongly marked than
in others ; the flesh being left (so far as can at present be ascertained)
with no variation of the local colour produced either by light or
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452
MERGE TO GYRENE.
shade. The colours employed are simply red, blue, and yellow ; but
whatever may be their nature they still are brilliant in the extreme,
and appear to have stood remarkably well. There seem to have
been two reds used in these pictures, (for so we may call the several
groups in question,) one a transparent colour resembling madder lake,
the other like that colour with a mixture of vermilion or of some
other bright, opaque red. These colours appear so rich and brilliant,
when sprinkled with water*, that one would imagine they had been
passed over gold leaf, or some similar substance, as we observe
to have been the case in pictures of Giotto and Cimabue, as
well as in the earher works of the Venetian and other schools.
We are not, however, of opinion that this practice was adopted in the
paintings now before us, although the brilliancy of their colours
would suggest the employment of some such expedient. The yellow
appears equally to have been of two kinds ; an orange colour was
first used to fill in the outline, and the lights were touched on with a
brighter yellow over it ; the whole together presenting that golden,
sunny hue, so delightful to the eye both in nature and art. The
same process seems to have been adopted with respect to the
blues ; but the lights, in this instance, appear rather to have been
made by a mixture of white with the local colour than by a second
blue of a lighter shade.
It may be inferred from the copies which we have made of these
designs, (which, although they are as good as we could make them,
naturally fall very short of the perfection of the originals,) that the
* An operation which is at present necessary, in order to make them bear out.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
453
drawing of the figures is in excellent style, and the actions at once
expressive, easy, and graceful ; what we have most failed in is the
expression of the countenances, which, though produced merely by a
single outline, we were wholly unable to copy at all to our satisfaction.
The characters and features are what are usually called Grecian, and
remind us strongly, in the originals, of those of the figures repre-
sented on some of the most highly finished Greek (or in other w ords,
Etruscan) vases. The draperies are well arranged, and executed
with great taste and freedom ; they appear, like the other parts of
the compositions, to have been painted at once, without any altera-
tion, and with the greatest facility imaginable. It will be observed
that the turban has in several instances been adopted; and the
shape of some of these is more oriental than any which w e remember
to have seen in Greek designs. It is singular also that all the
figures appear to have been black, with the exception of that of the
old man in the last group, which has certainly been red ; yet there
is nothing either Moorish or Ethiopian in the characters represented ;
which, from the outlines, we should suppose to be Grecian. We
have no solution to offer for this apparent inconsistency; and will
not venture to suggest what may have been the subjects of the
several pieces. They appear to represent some connected story ; yet
the same persons are not certainly introduced in all, if indeed in any
two of the compositions. In the first group two females, both of
them young, appear engaged in some interesting conversation. The
second may perhaps represent the same persons, but it is difficult to
say whether the rod in the hand of the standing figure is raised for
454
MERGE TO GYRENE.
the purpose of chastisement, or whether it is intended to represent
the performance of some magic ceremony. The finger which is
raised towards the lips of this figure seems rather to be indicative of
imposing silence than of conveying admonition ; and the arm and
hand of the person kneeling appear to be more expressive of vene-
ration or submission, than of either alarm or supphcation. There is
a curious appearance on the head of this figure which somewhat
resembles in form the twisted lock of the Egyptian Horus, but its
colour is decidedly red, while that of the other parts of the head
are uncertain. The lower part of this figure has been so much
rubbed as to be nearly unintelligible, and the face has disappeared
altogether. A similar accident has happened to one of the preceding
figures, the lower part of which is not now distinguishable. In the
third group we see a female figure with a helmet closely fitted to
the shape of the head, bearing on her shoulder an ark, or canis-
trum ; a second female, attired in white, is represented walking, and
looking back towards the other, whom she is beckoning to advance.
The folds of the white drapery have nearly disappeared, and little
more is left of it than the outline. The helmet of the first-mentioned
figure of this group is painted red, and the back part of it, with a
portion of the arm, is rubbed out. The fourth design represents a
young man asleep, and a matron apparently watching over him, who
appears, from her countenance and action, as well as from the gar-
ment which is thrown over her head, to be labouring under some
affliction. In the fifth we observe a female figure sitting, and appa-
rently employed in spinning ; by her side is a youth of ten or twelve
MERGE TO GYRENE.
455
years old, with a turban of a different form from those with which
some of the other figures are furnished ; this aj)pears to be merely a
family-party, and the careless and schoolboy-like action of the youth
whose thumbs are stuck into the folds of his garment, is well expres-
sive of youthful unconcern. The last group represents an old man
in a reclining position, who appears to be welcoming or taking leave
of his son, who is kneehng by the side of his couch ; the complexion
of the old man is decidedly red, but that of the youth is very uncer-
tain, as this picture has suffered more than any of the rest. The
head and trunk of the old man, so far as they remain, are designed
in the best style of Grecian art, and, indeed, we may say of the
groups in general that they exhibit a perfect knowledge of the
figure, as well as great taste in the mode of displaying it ; and we
cannot but regret that the rude hands of barbarians, rather than
those of time, have deprived us of any part of these beautiful com-
positions. Enough however remains to make them very interesting ;
and we present them to the public as examples of Grecian painting
at Gyrene, with the impression that they will not be thought unworthy
relics of the genius and talent of the colony.
The colours employed in the architecture of this tomb (so far as
they at present remain) are faithfully given in the elevation of the
interior facade, (page 452), and appear to have been confined to the
entablature, and to the capitals and phnths of the columns and
pilasters.
There is only one cella, in this instance, for the reception of the
dead, and it appears to have been allotted to a single body only ; but
456
MERGE TO GYRENE.
as the interior is much incumbered with soil washed in through the
door-way from without, we could not say decidedly that there is
no place for a second body beneath the upper one, without some
previous excavation.
The cella is not placed opposite to the entrance of the tomb, as is
usual in other examples, but on the right hand side of it in enter-
ing ; and this arrangement has been made in conformity with the
position of the rock in which it is excavated, and not from any
caprice on the part of the architect. The date of this tomb would
appear, from its architectural details, to be posterior to the time of
the Ptolemies ; but no degeneracy of style is observable in the paint-
ings, which would not disgrace the best periods of Grecian art. We
must at the same time recollect, that the architecture employed in
the decoration of excavated tombs is not to be judged by so severe
a standard as that which is applicable to the exteriors of buildings ;
the details in the first case are purely ornamental, and may be placed
in the same scale with those of interiors, in which the fancy of the
architect is always left more at liberty than it can be allowed to be
in external decoration : and what would therefore be bad taste in
one of these instances is not necessarily such in the other. Neither
does it appear to have been the practice of the ancients to give an
air of gloom or sadness to the abodes which they allotted to the ser-
vice of the dead, and on which they have bestowed, at all periods, so
much labour and expense. We find historic, allegorical, and pasto-
ral subjects represented on such occasions in the gayest colours ; as
if it had been their wish to disarm death of its terrors, and to mode-
MERGE TO GYRENE.
457
rate the intensity of affliction by diverting the mind from the loss
of the deceased to the honours which are paid to their memory.
The shades of the departed were also supposed to take delight in
the attention bestowed upon their mortal remains ; and to wander
with complacency over the gay and costly chambers which piety and
affection had consecrated to their use. A departure from the esta-
blished practice of the ancients in the exterior decorations of their
temples and public buildings, ought not then perhaps to be received,
in the instances mentioned, as a mark of vitiated taste, or of the
recent date of the fabric in which such anomaly may be observed :
and in applying this remark to the excavated tombs at Cyrene
(scarcely any two of which are alike in their proportions) we have
the more reason to regret the almost total absence of inscriptions, by
which the dates of the several fabrics might be clearly ascertained.
It is probable that many of these might be found on tablets, once
let into, or placed over, some part of each tomb ; and now buried
beneath the soil and the wrecks of the exterior facades, which
incumber the chambers and the approaches to them. In many
instances busts have been placed over the pediments of the outer
porticoes, and we often found fragments of statues in the chambers
and cell® within. So many of the tombs are however filled up to a
considerable height above the level of their pavement with an accu-
mulation of soil from without, that it is scarcely possible to say what
they contain ; while the entrances are usually incumbered with the
fragments of the fallen porticoes which once formed the ornaments
of the exteriors. On the day of our arrival at Cyrene we perceived
458
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the marble bust of a female figure, from which the head had been
recently broken, lying in front of one of the excavated tombs ; and
on inquiring of some straggling Arabs, who had preceded us, what
was become of the remainder, they at first pleaded ignorance on the
point altogether ; but on our proving to them, from the whiteness of
the fractured parts, that we were certain the head must have been
very lately broken off, they asked us what we would give them if they
should find it. A bargain was now made that if the head were at aU
perfect, so as to be worth our taking it away, they should have a
Spanish dollar for bringing it ; but if we left it in their possession they
were only to have the head for their pains. The words were no sooner
uttered than one of the fellows scrambled into a tomb close at hand,
and brought out with him the relic in question ; which was, however,
so much defaced by the process which had been employed in severing
it from the body, as to be wholly unworthy of removal, and it was left
by the side of the trunk with the full and free consent of both
parties. We are sorry to say that the practice of breaking heads
from the figures has been very general at Cyrene ; and has been occa-
sioned in many instances by the inability of the Arabs to carry off a
whole statue to Bengazi or Tripoly (where they might have a chance
of disposing of it to advantage) and their eagerness to secure the
profits which might result to them from the transport and sale of a
part of it. We took care to make it generally understood, after this
discovery, that we would never purchase anything that had been
recently mutilated ; and that we should certainly complain to Bey
MERGE TO GYRENE.
459
Mahommed at Derna whenever we heard that any injury of the kind
had been committed on his Highness’s property.
If the excavated tombs of Cyrene have been pointed out as objects of
no trivial interest, those, also, which have been built in every part of its
neighbourhood are no less entitled to our attention and admiration.
Several months might be employed in making drawings and plans of
the most conspicuous of these elegant structures ; and the few exam-
ples which our short stay allowed us to secure them (as given in the
plate, page 464) will give but an imperfect idea of the variety
observable in their forms and details. Many of these are built in
imitation of temples, although there are scarcely two of them exactly
ahke ; and their effect on the high ground on which they mostly
stand, as seen from different parts of the city and suburbs, is more
beautiful than we can pretend to describe. A judicious observer
might select from these monuments, as well as from the excavated
tombs above mentioned, examples of Grecian and Eoman architecture
through a long succession of interesting periods ; and the progress
of the art might thus be traced satisfactorily, from its early state
among the first inhabitants of Cyrene, to its degeneracy and final
decay under Koman colonists in the decline of the empire.
The larger tombs were usually divided in the centre by a wall along
the whole length of the building (which is the case in one of those
represented in the plate, p, 464), and several bodies were disposed one
over the other in each of the compartments thus obtained. Every
place containing a body was covered with a slab of marble or stone,
in the manner of those described in the excavated tombs ; and there
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460
MERGE TO GYRENE.
were sometimes two of these places abreast of each other, and the same
number at their head or feet, according to the size of the tomb.
Innumerable busts and statues originally adorned the constructed
tombs (as w e have already observed to be the case in those which have
been excavated in the mountain), and many of these are still seen half
buried beneath heaps of rubbish and soil, at the foot of the buildings
they once surmounted. Those entirely above ground we usually
found broken in several pieces, or mutilated so as to be much dis-
figured ; but w^e have not the least doubt that there are many of
them still existing in a perfect state, within a few feet, and often a
few inches, of the surface, which might easily be obtained by ex-
cavation.
Two Arabs of the place, who had one day observed us looking at
some of the statues here alluded to, came the next morning to our
tent, and gave us to understand that they knew of one, in a perfect
condition, which they could point out to us for an adequate reward.
^Ye made the only bargain with them which it would have been safe
to conclude, among so many mutilated pieces, lying round us in all
directions, which was simply, that if it proved to be worth taking
away we would give them a certain number of dollars for the in-
formation which they had afforded us. On our accompanying
them to the place where the figure lay, they soon cleared the
earth from a female statue, in very good style, and tolerable
preservation, excepting that the surface of the face and upper
part of the body had entirely lost its polish and become ex-
tremely rough. As the statue was of larger dimensions than
MERGE TO GYRENE.
461
life, and consequently very heavy, it would not, under these
circumstances, have been worth our while to remove it from the
place where it was ; and we accordingly gave the Arabs a bakhshees
for their trouble, and told them that we did not think it good
enough to remove ; but that if we should ultimately take it away we
would give them the reward before specified. With this arrange-
ment, however, (though a perfectly just one,) they proved to be so
little satisfied, that on the following morning in passing by the place,
we found that the statue had been placed upright, and pelted with
stones for their own or their children’s amusement. The lips were
knocked off, and the face and body otherwise mutilated ; though not
to the degree which we expected when we first observed the figure
placed up as a mark for every idle passenger to amuse himself with
throwing at. We were not a little concerned to see the mischief which
w e ourselves (however innocently) had in fact been the cause of, and
gave out that we intended to write to Mahommed Eey that he might
discover and punish the delinquents ! adding, that if any similar out-
rage should be practised in future, the severest retaliation might be
expected.
After this we w^ere careful, when we discovered a good statue, to
bury it an inch or two in the soil which surrounded it, effacing at
the same time all traces of our work; and never indulged ourselves
in looking at any object of importance when we thought ourselves
observed by the Arabs. F or such is the inconsistency of Arab cha-
racter, that the very same statue which they would walk over con-
tinually without ever honouring it with more than a glance en pas-
462
MERGE TO GYRENE.
sant, would in all probability be broken in pieces the moment it
became an object of particular notice. The style of architecture in
which the monumental tombs have been constructed varies according
to the dates of the building, and apparently, also, to the consequence
of the persons interred in them ; the order employed is almost always
Doric, particularly in the earlier examples. It seems probable that
the custom of burying the entire body obtained very generally in
Gyrene and other cities of the Pentapolis ; and this is one of the few
instances in which we perceive any analogy between the customs of
the Cyreneans and those of the Egyptians. It is certain, however,
that the practice of burning the bodies, and of preserving the ashes
in urns, prevailed also among the inhabitants of the Cyrenaica as it
did in other Grecian states At the present day there are no
remains either of bodies or of cinereal urns in any of the tombs with
which we are acquainted, one of them only excepted : in which a leg
and foot, which appeared to have been rather dried than embalmed,
was found in a very perfect state. There are places formed in the
* Each of these customs (as practised by the Greeks) had well-founded claims to
great antiquity; for interment appears to have been in use in the time of Cecrops, and
burning must at any x’ate be allowed to have been practised by the Grecians, as far back
as the Ti’ojan war, if we rely upon the testimony of Homer. The custom of burning was
perhaps the most peculiar to the Greeks, of the two modes in question ; for Lucian,
in enumerating the various methods resorted to by different nations in the disposal of
their dead, expressly assigns burning to the Greeks, and interment to the Persians
5iEXojU.svoi Kxra sSrvn rats' raitpas', o /aev "ExXnv exannrev, o Ss Ilegims' ESat-vJ/Ev TTEvS'ot/s', ^ 21 .)
Some, however, considered the former as an inhuman custom, and philosophers were
divided in their opinions on the subject ; each sect esteeming that method the most rea-
sonable by which bodies would, according to their tenets, be soonest reduced to their
first principles. — See Potter’s Archseologia, vol. ii. p. 207-8, &c.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
463
wall, at the extremity of one of the cellaj in an excavated tomb, for
the reception, apparently, of cinereal urns, as will be seen in the eleva-
tion we have given of it; but this is the only example of the kind
we have met with, and we are left to determine, in other cases,
from the dimensions of the cellae, whether they contained bodies or
ashes. The reason of this is that (from whatever cause) all the tombs,
whether excavated or constructed, have been opened and rifled of
their contents ; and we never saw a single instance in which this had
not been the case. In the constructed tombs, when the cover was
too heavy to remove without a great deal of labour, a hole was
always found knocked in the side of the sarcophagus ; and the tablets
or slabs of stone or marble which closed the cellm and the places for
the bodies, in those which were excavated, were in no instance found
in their places entire by any individual of our party. The tombs of
persons of distinction, at Cyrene, appear to have been erected in
conspicuous positions without any regard to order or arrangement ;
at the will, perhaps, of the deceased themselves, or of those at whose
expense they were interred : but the sarcophagi of those of inferior
consideration were ranged in line, whenever the ground would allow
of it, so as to take up as little space as possible, and to present an
appearance of regularity ; the sizes of the latter very seldom varied
materially, and their forms were usually ahke. The arrangement of
the sarcophagi was not always the same ; but they were almost
invariably placed at right angles, in the manner represented (page
464) in the ground-plan and elevation which we have given of them.
The sarcophagus itself was generally composed of a single block of
4G4
MERGE TO GYRENE.
stone, hollowed out roughly for the reception of the body ; and its
cover consisted of another single stone shaped into the form repre-
sented in the plate, without any great attention to finish, but
always with considerable regularity.
This form of sarcophagus was common among the ancients in
other parts of the world, and continued in very general use to a late
period of the Eoman empire. In the plain below the city (to the
northward) there is a considerable number of handsome tombs,
both excavated and constructed (those of the latter sort naturally
preponderating) ; and among these there must be many (we are
sorry to say) which we never had an opportunity of examining : our
route over this tract of country having chiefly been confined to the
road from Cyrene to Apollonia (now Marsa Susa) its port ; situated
at the foot of the range of high land the summit of which forms
the plain in question : and as the ground in this part is thickly
wooded, and crossed by ravines in different directions, the buildings
which might still exist upon it would not be seen by passengers
unless they lay immediately in their track. There are also many to
the southward of the town which we had no leisure to examine ; our
researches among the tombs having for the most part been limited
to the more immediate neighbourhood of the city, where there is still
a very ample field for inquiry, without trespassing on the ground we
have just mentioned.
The summit of the mountain on which Cyrene is built has been
cleared of the wood which no doubt once incumbered it, and we
easily found a convenient place for our tents, which were pitched, on
MERGE TO GYRENE.
465
our arrival near the centre of the town. The whole of this tract, as
far as the eye could reach, was thickly covered with the most luxuriant
vegetation, to the height of four and five feet ; and as the place had
not been visited since the rainy season, we found none of the grass
trodden down, and were obliged to commence the operation of level-
ling it before we could make ourselves comfortable in our abodes.
The heavy dews which fell immediately after the sun was down
made our passage through this obstruction rather inconvenient from
five or six in the evening till nearly mid-day, and there was no part
of Cyrene which we could pass to between those hours without being
completely wet through. In a few days, however, we had formed
several footpaths to the principal points of attraction, and many of
these led over fallen columns and statues which wholly escaped
notice till our feet struck against them. Indeed so much was the
whole town encumbered with vegetable matter that very few
objects were presented to the eye when first we arrived at the
place: and we almost despaired of finding any matter of interest
unconnected with the fountain and the tombs. Every wetting that
we got, however, added to our satisfaction, by augmenting the list of
the remains ; and we soon perceived that we had established our-
selves in the neighbourhood of two theatres and of several other
objects well worth attention. The road to the fountain was (it may
be imagined) one of the first which was made ; and the passage of our
servants and horses along it, as they went to fetch water for the con-
sumption of the party, soon rendered it the most practicable of any.
It led also to the galleries which we have already mentioned along
466
MERGE TO GYRENE.
the northern face of the mountain ; and became very shortly such a
favourite path to every individual of our number, that each of us, in
first coming out of the tent, turned as naturally into it as if there
were no other. About midway between our tents and the fountain,
the track which had been made through the high grass about us
passed close along the scene of one of the theatres, the largest of
the two just alluded to ; but before we proceed to the description
of this building, and of others which engrossed our attention at
Cyrene, we shall turn from the subject and lay before our readers the
contents of the following chapter.
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MERGE TO CYRENE.
467
CHAPTER XVII.
1
Arrival of Captain Smyth at Derna — Our Party set out from Cyrene to meet him — Remains of
Ancient Forts, and Sarcophagi observed on the Journey — Marks of Chariot-wheels in the
Stony Track indicative of an ancient Road — Barren Appearance of the Mountains which rise at
the back of Dema — Perilous Descent from their Summit to the Plain below — Exhausted condi-
tion of our Horses in accomplishing it— Arrive at Derna, where we found the Adventure, and
wait upon Captain Smyth — Description of the town of Derna — Ravages occasioned by the
Plague there — Prompt Measures of Mahommed Bey in subduing it — Some Account of
Mahommed Bey — Civility and attention received by our Party from Signor Regignani the
British Agent at Derna — Take leave of Mr. Tindall, who sails on board the Adventure —
Departure from Derna on our road to Apollonia — Gradual increase of Vegetation observed
on the Route — Thickly-wooded Ravines and dangerous Passes on this Road — Beautiful Stream
at Elthroon — Arrive at El Hilal— Capacious Harbour at that place — Ancient Remains
observed there, — Arab Encampment at El Hilal — Dishonest Conduct of our Chaous — Arrive at
Apollonia — No Water to be found there — Begin to dig a Well in order to proci re some, our
stock being wholly exhausted — Bad Success of this attempt — Continue our Journey to Cyrene
— Miss the Path over the Mountain, and lose our way among the thickets and underwood —
Inconvenience of this mistake to all Parties — Find the right track, and at length reach the
Fountain of Apollo — Rencontre of our Servants with some female Inhabitants of the Moun-
tain— Singular position of the Caves which they lived in — Gain intelligence at Cyrene of a
Spring in the neighbourhood of Apollonia — Set out again for that place — Description of the
Road — Architectural Remains, and beautiful appearance of the Country through which it
passes — Meet with an Hyaena in the dusk of the evening — The forest rnuch infested by these
animals and Jackalls — Peculiarities of both — Arrive at Apollonia, and find the Spring
described to us— Other Caves in the Mountain — Unwillingness of their Inhabitants to admit
us — Description of the City of Apollonia.
We had been about three weeks at Cyrene, busily employed in walk-
3 0 2
468
MERGE TO GYRENE.
ing over the ground, and in making plans and drawings of the remains
of antiquity which it presented, when news was brought to us from
the Vice-Consul at Derna that H.'M. S. the Adventure had arrived
there. As we particularly wished to communicate with Captain
Smyth, we left Mr. Campbell in charge of the tents and set out on
our journey to the eastward. We continued to descend for the first
hour, tahing the route of Safsaf, where there are extensive remains
of building, and soon came to a stony, uninteresting country, par-
tially cultivated, and much overrun with brushwood; at noon we
had reached a place called Tercet where we perceived the remains of
ancient forts and those of some tombs and sarcophagi. We found
ourselves here in the neighbourhood of an Arab encampment, and
continuing our route over a country that appeared to have been
cleared for the purposes of building, arrived by two o’clock at Lam-
lada, another ancient station, occupied, like that already mentioned,
by Arabs. The nature of the ground continued very much the
same with that which w e had already passed over, except that it was
more hilly ; and by five we had arrived at Goobba, where w e found
many remains of building and a w’elcome supply of fresh water from
a spring. We observed that the tombs here had architectural fronts
similar to those which we have spoken of at Cyrene. As the evening
was fast closing in, we did not stop to give these much attention, but
proceeded on to Beit Thiarma where we pitched our tent late at night.
At this place there is a spring of fresh water, built round, and upon
a hill close to it the remains of an ancient fort. We had reason to
MERGE TO GYRENE.
469
conjecture from the frequent remains of building which we had met
with in our journey to this place, as w^ell as from the occasional
marks of chariot-wheels impressed in the rocky soil we had passed
over, that the road which we had taken was the same with that for-
merly used in travelling from Cyrene to Darnis now Derna*.
The next morning we continued our course east-south -east, and
began to ascend by a very bad, stony pathway, which took us four
hours to surmount, winding all the time through ohve and fir trees
thickly planted in every direction. About noon we reached the
brow of the range which separated us from the town of Derna, and
here began the most difficult part of our journey, the descent into
the plain below. The face of the mountain is devoid of vegetation,
occasionally polished like glass ; and its inclination approaches in
many places far too closely to the perpendicular to render it safe as
a road. Indeed it is in so many parts scarcely practicable, that we
could not help wondering, when we arrived at its foot, how we had
contrived in any way to descend it without breaking our own and
our horses’ necks in the attempt.
There was neither road nor pathway to be found, and we were
obliged to scramble down in the best way we could, sometimes
stumbling over rugged and encumbered parts of the mountain, and
* This observation is not applicable to the latter part of the ground we travelled
over, which could not certainly have ever formed part of a road either ancient or
modeim ; and it was wholly owing to the ignorance of our Chaous, who persisted that
we were in the right track, that we were induced to attempt it.
470
MERGE TO GYRENE.
slipping along at others over a hard, polished surface, which was still
more difficult to pass than they were. When we arrived at a descent
more than usually perpendicular, we had the greatest difficulty, after
sliding down ourselves, to make our poor horses follow us ; and it
was truly distressing, as well as provoking, to see these fine
animals reduced to a condition in which they did not appear to
have the power of exerting the slightest portion of their natu-
ral energy. Their eyes appeared starting from their heads,
and their nostrils were distended to the utmost extent ; a mass of
white foam was collected round their mouths, mixed with blood
which the sharp Mamaluke bit had drawn forth in our endeavours
to keep them from falling down the cliff, and the perspiration which
terror and fatigue (without mentioning the heat of the sun) had
drawn forth, literally ran down in streams from their bodies. They
became at length so helpless and so completely overcome, that we
doubted whether we should ever get them down the cliff at all, and
indeed our own fatigue and continued anxiety would not have ren-
dered us very effective conductors if the descent had lasted much
longer. Yet our horses had been accustomed to roads of every de-
scription, or rather to countries with no roads at all, and had
often laboured through deep and heavy sands, and over rugged
and mountainous passes, in the course of their journey from Tripoly.
They had also an advantage in having only three shoes, which pre-
vented them from slipping about so much as they would otherwise
have done ; and in short they went through this arduous part of their
MERGE TO GYRENE.
471
journey much better than most horses would have done, and much
better perhaps than we had any reason to expect from the nature of
the pass which they descended. It will scarcely be necessary to add
that on reaching the bottom of the precipice (for so we must call it)
we stopped to recruit the exhausted strength of all parties before we
set out for the town : our horses had had several very heavy falls, but
fortunately experienced no material injury ; and after leading them
on till they were sufficiently recovered, we were able to mount them
again and continue our route along the sea-side to Derna, where we
arrived in the evening and found the Adventure at anchor at the
roadstead. We lost no time in waiting upon Captain Smyth, who
informed us that he had succeeded in completing the coast line
between Derna and Alexandria.
The town of Derna is situated at the mouth of a large ravine, and
is built on a low point of land running out from the foot of a range
of barren mountains distant about a mile from the coast. It is sup-
posed to be built on the site of the ancient Darnis, but there are
scarcely any remains of building at the present day which have
claims to particular notice. It is amply provided with water
(the first requisite for a town in hot climates), and well situated
at the entrance of a large ravine, or fiumara, along which a part
of it is built.
The houses are much better than those at Bengazi and are sur-
rounded by gardens producing abundance of grapes, melons, figs,
bananas, oranges, greengages, and other fruit; they have also the
472
MERGE TO GYRENE.
advantage of being well sheltered by thick groves of date-trees, which
give a very pleasing appearance to the town, and contribute mate-
rially to the comfort of the inhabitants by forming a perpetual shade.
A delightful stream of water gushes out from the rock above the
town, passing through several streets in its course, and irrigating the
gardens, and even the corn-fields in its neighbourhood. In short
the actual resources of Derna give it a very decided advantage (in
point of comfort) over every other town in the Bashaw’s dominions.
A very pleasant wine (we were told) is made from the grapes of this
place, all of which is consumed by the natives themselves, in spite of
the prophet’s injunctions.
The ravine at the mouth of which the town is situated is of consi-
derable depth and extent, winding up far into the mountains ; some
of the gardens are formed upon its sides, and about them a few trees
occasionally appear, where the soil has been able to lodge. In the
rainy season a considerable body of water rushes down from the
mountains to the sea, and is sometimes so deep and so rapid as to
become wholly impassable : at such times it separates one half the
town from the other and occasions a consequent inconvenience. In
the summer, however, it is dry, and the market is held upon its
shining bed.
It may readily be imagined that natives of Africa complain httle
of any inconvenience which fresh water may chance to occasion
them ; and we doubt even whether the inhabitants of Derna would
not rather run the risk of losing a part of their town every winter.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
473
than be deprived of the pleasure of seeing and admiring so large a
portion of this valuable fluid, and of enjoying the consciousness that,
at least once a year, they have more of it than they know what to do
with.
The water which flows from the spring we have mentioned above
was conveyed through the streets (as the people informed us) by one
of their former Beys, a native of Egypt, who is said to have expended
a considerable sum of money in beautifying and improving the place,
and to have erected a large and handsome mosque which stands in
the centre of the town.
The streets of Derna are for the most part narrow and irregular,
and not without that quantity of rubbish and dirt which may be sup-
posed indispensable to Arab towns and tastes ; but the luxuriance of
its gardens and groves are however quite sufficient to balance these
objections ; and the abundance of grapes which overhang the walls
and houses, the terraces, covered walks, and every part of the town,
give it a highly pleasing and picturesque appearance.
On the eastern bank of the ravine is the principal burying-ground
of the place, distinguished in particular by a lofty and handsome
tomb raised on four arches, under which the body is placed, with its
usual simple covering of snow-white cement, and the stone carved
turban at its head. The town is undefended both by sea and
land, and may at any time be destroyed by no greater force than
could be brought to bear against it by a brig of war. Upon a hill at
the back of it are the remains of a castle built some years ago by the
Americans ; but the guns are now thrown down, and the castle itself
474
MERGE TO GYRENE.
is little more than a mere heap of ruins. As this is a conspicuous
object in sailing along the coast, the observations for latitude and
longitude were reduced to it. Some large building-stones and frag-
ments of columns bedded in the walls of the Arab houses are all that
we could perceive of ancient remains in Derna. Above the town
there are a few tombs extant, but in a very mutilated state, excavated
in the side of the mountain. What is called the port affords some
protection for small vessels with the wind from north-west to south-
east ; but even these cannot remain with a northerly or north-east
wind : during the fine weather, however, some few anchor in it and
load with corn, wool, and manteca, the produce of the inland country.
The plague has made dreadful ravages at Derna, as is evident by
the number of deserted houses on its outskirts. The year previous
to our arrival it was brought (we were told) from Alexandria, and
the mortality which it occasioned was very considerable : the prompt
measures of the Bey, however, subdued it, who ordered the clothes
of all persons attacked with it to be burnt, their houses to be pro-
perly ventilated, and the streets to be cleared of everything that was
likely to communicate the infection. These exertions were probably
assisted by the general healthiness of the place, and the constant
change of atmosphere produced by the passage of water through the
town : the only remedy we heard of for the disease was the favourite
application of a hot iron to the tumours, which we understood to
have been peculiarly successful in many cases.
Derna is the residence of Bey Mahommed, eldest son to the
BashaAv of Tripoly, who commands the whole district extending
MERGE TO GYRENE.
475
from the frontiers of Egypt (the eastern part of Bomba) to Sidi
Ardfi, one short day west from Grenna. Mahommed Bey is well
known for his active and turbulent spirit, and for his rebellion against
the Bashaw’s authority, which once obliged him to seek refuge in
Egypt. His bold and enterprising measures succeeded in quelling
the marauding tribes of Arabs who infested the country and levied
contributions on the peaceful inhabitants of the towns ; but his
courage and conduct were sullied by cruelties which we do not feel
inclined to justify from their necessity, however well we might pro-
bably succeed in attempting to do so before an Arab or Turkish tri-
bunal. Indeed so many acts of cruelty and extravagance are related
of this prince, that we should scarcely know how to reconcile them
with the noble qualities which many allow him to possess, if we did
not know from experience that such inconsistencies are common in
barbarous countries; and that it is possible for the same man to be
cruel and forgiving, avaricious to extortion, and liberal to profusion,
generous and mean, open and intriguing, sincere and deceitful, tem-
perate and dissipated, in short anything but cowardly and brave.
We resided while at Derna in the house of the British agent
(Signor Kegignani) appointed by the Consul at Tripoly, from whom
letters had been forwarded, which arrived before us, with orders for
our proper accommodation. The Bashaw had also written to his
son, Bey Mahommed, to afford us his assistance and protection, and
although the Bey was absent, collecting the tribute, during the time
of our stay at Derna we had no reason to complain of any want of
attention to the applications which we occasionally made to him.
3 P 2
476
MERGE TO CYRENE.
From Signor Kegignani we invariably received the greatest attention
and kindness, and although his influence in Derna was certainly
very limited, and he himself often exposed to unavoidable insult,
drawn upon him in a great measure by his religious persuasion*, yet
there was nothing which he had it in his power to command, that he
did not very freely afford us.
At Derna we took leave of one of our companions (Mr. Tindall, a
young officer attached to the Adventure), who had accompanied the
Expedition from Tripoly.
The field of our operations, on arriving at Gyrene, was limited to
a comparatively small tract of country, and we were enabled in con-
sequence to dispense with this gentlemen’s services, which we knew
would be useful on board. We were sorry to part with Mr. Tindall,
who had materially assisted us in our operations, and whose frank and
spirited character, and joyous disposition, had so often enlivened the
frugal board of our little party. We took our leave at the same
time of Captain Smyth and the officers of the Adventure, from whom
we had received many friendly attentions, which we often look back
upon Muth pleasure. Our arrangements completed, the Adventure
sailed from Derna, and as soon as we had finished plans and draw-
ings of the town, we set out on our return to the tents.
We left Derna on the second of .June, and pursued our course
along the beach towards Apollonia, with the intention of returning to
Gyrene by that route. After travelling along a stony flat running
* Signor Regignani was of the Jewish persuasion, and it is well known that in Maho-
metan countries the Jews are a persecuted race.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
477
out from the base of the mountain, we reached El Hyera, where there
is a well of fresh water within a few feet of the sea, and the remains
of a fort upon a small eminence a little above it : at night we stopped
at Bujebara, close to the cape of the same name, with which Derna
forms a large bay; and which has three rocky islets lying off it. The
mountains, winch extend in a range along the coast, at a distance of
from a mile to a mile and a half, are continually broken by deep
ravines which cross the beach in their passage to the sea, and make
the road in some places nearly impassable.
It was curious to observe the gradual increase of vegetation in
passing from Derna to xkppollonia by this route : the mountains at
the former place, as we have already mentioned, are perfectly desti-
tute of any ; in advancing, a little underwood is here and there seen,
and a few bushes sparingly dotted about the plain ; these increase by
degrees, as the country becomes bolder, and gradually spread them-
selves over the sides of the hills, ascending higher and higher every
mile, till, in approaching El Hyera, one continued wood reaches down
from the top of the mountains to the sea. On the third, we pursued
our journey along the coast by a very indifferent road, and at two
miles’ distance from Bujebara the range comes down close to the sea
and terminates in perpendicular cliffs, along the edge of which we
were obliged to pass to the great risk of our horses and camels.
At the foot of these, which is washed by the sea, we noticed a small
rocky point with a quarry upon it, extending itself in a semicircular
form so as to afford some protection for boats which might also be
hauled upon the sandy beach within it. Eight miles to the westward
478
MERGE TO GYRENE.
of Bujebara we came to a deep ravine, through which ran the largest
body of water which we had seen in Africa ; it is called Wady El-
throon. The sides of this ravine, wliich proceeded from an immense
fissure between the mountains, were thickly clothed with pine, cypress
and olive-trees, and the river, which ran with some rapidity, was
studded with small islands covered with oleanders, which we found in
full bloom as we passed. Along the brink of the stream was spread
a beautiful turf, which opened in little plots, broader or narrower,
according to the nature of the ground, on which we threw ourselves
down to take a few minutes rest and enjoy a long draught of the
clear cool water and a short dream of Arcadian felicity. In truth,
the spot was delightful— we scarcely recollect to have seen a more
pleasing one anywhere— and to meet with such a scene in an African
climate was to render the view doubly grateful.
Ascending the opposite side of the ravine, we entered a country
fertile in corn and which seemed to be very well peopled ; here we
found some ruins very much decayed and mutilated, apparently
those of an ancient town of small dimensions, which, as its situation
will be found to correspond, we will venture to suggest as the
Erythron of Ptolemy; and indeed the similarity of the names
would naturally lead to this conclusion.
On leaving Elthroon the road took a westerly direction, at the foot
of the range, through a country well cultivated in some parts and in
others overrun with pine-trees. At every mile we were interrupted
by a provoking ravine, which we hardly knew whether most to admire
for its beauty, or to exclaim against for the serious impediments
MERGE TO GYRENE.
479
which it presented. Night brought us to El Hilal, a mountain so
called. The point of El Elihd extends to the north-east and forms
a bay of about a mile in depth, in which even large ships might find
shelter with the wind from north to south-east by east. It is in this
spot that Cellarius has placed a naval station and town, and there are
certainly remains at the present day about it indicative of an ancient
site, while the harbour itself would be sufficiently qualified for a
naval station to correspond with that part of the description. Two
ancient forts are seen in ruins on the cliff and we noticed an ancient
tomb which is excavated in the rock, close to the ravine, retaining
still a very handsome facade. Three miles to the eastward of the
forts at El Hilal are some others, also in ruins, and the remains of
strong walls in the neighbourhood of stone-quarries, all of which
would seem to point out the spot as an ancient station. This place
has also the peculiarity of being the only part of the coast which can
be seen from Gyrene, from which it is distant about fourteen miles.
In Ptolemy’s chart we find a naustathmos (or naval station) placed
on the western side of this promontory ; but we saw nothing that
would answer to the position in that direction. Kas El Hilal, with
Bujebara on the south-east, forms an extensive bay ; and another
with Cape Rasat on the north-west near the centre of which is
situated (now called Marsa Suza) the Port of Gyrene, Apollonia-
From El Hilal commence two ranges of mountains extending them-
selves to the westward, one along the coast, from it to Ptolemeta,
forming the southern boundary of the plain on which Apollonia is
built ; the other rising in a range above these, diverging towards
480
MERGE TO GYRENE.
Merge and abreast of Cape Eas Sem. At El Hilal we found an
Arab encampment and obtained from it a goat and some corn for our
horses. The Bedouins were civil and obliging, and brought us out a
very acceptable present of kuskusoo, for which we made a suitable
return. They would, however, have had but little reason to be satis-
fied with the conduct of strangers whom they had treated with cour-
tesy, if we had not very fortunately made a discovery on leaving them
which our Chaous had not probably anticipated. We had made it a
practice in the course of our journey to pay the Arabs for whatever
we had of them ; and although this practice is considered by Turks
not only as superfluous but very plebeian, we found it more consistent
with our ideas of propriety, and at the same time more politic than
if we had adopted a line of conduct more dignified and less honest.
Our Chaous had received from us a sufficient sum of money to
make a liberal return to the Bedouins of El Hilal for the corn and
the goat which they had supplied us with ; but instead of complying
with our orders on this head he thought it more adviseable to keep
the piasters in his purse than to distribute them as he had been
directed : and we should accordingly have left behind us a much
worse character for liberality than we deserved, if this discovery had
not been made before we took our departure. Chaous Massoud
looked rather foolish when the charge was brought home to him, too
well substantiated to admit of denial, and we afterwards found that
his honesty in other matters was not greater than on the occasion
here alluded to. On our arrival at Grenna we sent him back to
Derna and procured another Chaous from Bey Mahommed. Mas-
MERGE TO GYRENE.
481
soud was an Egyptian, and took every occasion to show his superiority,
in point of civilization, over the Arabs and Moors of the west. He
was particularly proud of his singing ; and as his lungs were nearly
equal to his conceit, was never tired of displaying his fancied abili-
ties to the utmost extent of his voice, not dreaming for a moment
that any of his auditors could possibly be less amused with his efforts
than himself. With this view, he always kept close to our side,
adapting the pace of his horse to ours, and quavering without inter-
mission. His voice was good, and had he been able to moderate it,
and to use it only on proper occasions, would rather have cheered
than annoyed us on the road ; for his songs had some subject, and
were infinitely preferable to the tiresome monotony and endless
repetition of two or three unmeaning words which had been so
unmercifully dinned into our ears ever since we left Tripoly. The
songs of the Arabs are however not always without a subject, as the
examples which we have of their poetry in England will testify ; but
we are obliged to confess that the greatest attempts at invention
which we ourselves noticed in a journey of seven or eight hundred
miles were nothing more than short allusions to what was going
forward at the time, or to something which was in anticipation.
For instance, in ascending a hill, the song of our Arab companions
would be — “ Now we are going up the hill — now we are going up the
hill.” And in descending — “ Now we are going down — now we are
going down.” Each sentence being repeated all the time the action
alluded to was going forward, without the slightest variation of any
kind. In approaching a town, the song would consist of something
3 Q
482
MERGE TO GYRENE.
about the time we were likely to arrive there, or what good things
were to be had at the place — eating being usually the summum
bonum. On our return to Bengazi in June the whole burthen of
our camel-driver’s song for three days was the reward which he
expected to have for driving his camels so fast.
It was late in the evening when we arrived at Apollonia, with-
out having met with a single human being ; our road led chiefly over
a stony country intersected by deep ravines, which our horses had
the greatest difficulty in crossing.
We were told at El Hilal, that we should find Arab tents and
plenty of water at Apollonia, but neither of these had we the good
fortune to meet with, after a long and very diligent search.
We accordingly began to dig a weU in the sand, but the water which
drained into it was too salt to drink, and our labour was wholly
thrown away. The day had been hot, and the exertions which were
necessary in getting our horses safely across the deep and numerous
ravines which obstructed our passage from El Hilal to Apollonia,
had tolerably exhausted the strength of our party before we arrived
at our journey’s end ; but the circumstances in which we were placed
had the effect of renewing it for a time, and it was midnight before
we discontinued our search for Arab tents, and our efforts to procure
a supply of water. As no hopes of finding either appeared to be
left us, we gave over the search, and retired to our tents ; the water-
skins were carefully drained, and afforded us something less than a
pint, which was divided amongst the party, consisting of eight, and
we laid ourselves down to sleep away the inconvenience which we
MERGE TO GYRENE.
483
had not been able to remedy. At daylight on the fifth we rose to
make our way to Cyrene, which we knew could not, at all events, be
more than half a day’s journey to the southward ; but ill fortune
still pursued us, for neither our Chaous, nor the camel-driver,
had any knowledge whatever of the road. As we knew, from
our actual position, that we could not well be mistaken in the direc-
tion of Cyrene, we set out upon the chance of finding some track
which might eventually lead to the point required ; and after follow-
ing several paths, one after the other, all of which only led us into
the wood and left us, a great part of the day was consumed without
effect. It was too late to think of returning to El Hilal, for it
would not have been safe to cross after dusk the many deep
ravines which interposed in that route, and we determined to make
our way over the mountains which lay between us and Cyrene, since
w'e could not find a pass leading through them. We knew that on
reaching the summit of the range we should have a view of the place
we were bound to, which could not, in a straight fine, be far from us ;
but our project was soon discovered to be more easily projected than
executed : for the sides of the mountain were thickly covered with
wood, among which we were obliged to scramble as we might, and
after dragging our horses for several hours through these impedi-
ments, and over the rough stony ground and slippery parts of the
rock, we found, on reaching the top of one hill, that another was
before us, as difficult to pass as the one we had just surmounted ;
and that a thickly-wooded valley must be crossed before we could
attain even the foot of it. By this time the camels which had pur-
3 Q 8
484
MERGE TO GYRENE.
sued a different track were discovered on the opposite side of a
ravine, and we flattered ourselves that they had succeeded in finding
the right path ; it was impossible however for us to join them with-
out retracing our steps, and we knew that we should never have
been able to get our horses down the hill, which had cost them so
many leaps and heavy falls to ascend ; nothing therefore was left but
to push on as well as we could, and after four hours’ labour, such as
we never experienced, and have certainly no wish to encounter
again, we reached the top of the range and stopped a few minutes
to refresh our horses, who were covered with foam, and trembling so
much with terror and fatigue that a halt had become unavoidable.
They had been, like ourselves, for nearly two days without water,
and the heat of the weather, joined to the exertions which were
necessary, had rendered thirst doubly annoying. On arriving at the
summit of the range our view was still impeded by wood, and though
we climbed several trees, to look out for an object which might guide
us on the way which still remained for us to take, we could not suc-
ceed in overtopping the forest which lay between us and Gyrene. Our
course was therefore still doubtful, and in a short interval which we
devoted to rest, it was proposed that some of us should push on in
advance, leaving the horses in charge of the others, and endeavour to
find some opening : this was accordingly done, till our voices could
scarcely be heard by each other, but still without any success.
Beyond this distance it would not have been prudent to go, as we
should scarcely have found one another again, had we ventured to
ramble out of hearing. As it was, we experienced some difficulty in
MERGE TO GYRENE.
485
re-assembling our little party, consisting of four, and began once more
to lead our horses forward who were very unwilling to move. After
some further search, we came suddenly on a path which crossed us
at right angles in our course ; and as it was broad and evidently led
through the wood, we determined at all events to follow it. It con-
tinued to be practicable and commodious, to our great relief and
satisfaction ; and we forgot, for a time, all our troubles, in the pros-
pect of a speedy release from the embarrassment which our trip over
the hill had brought upon us.
This path was very fortunately the right one, and led direct from
Cyrene to ApoUonia ; but as it came into the plain at some distance
from the point at which we began to ascend, and was wholly con-
cealed by the wood which covered the sides of the mountain, it
escaped our observation altogether, till we crossed it at the top of
the range. After following it for some time we came to an open
space, and were gratified with a view of Cyrene, which in the course
of a few hours more we reached, and found ourselves once again by
the side of the fountain which appeared to us, after our long absti-
nence, more attractive and beautiful than ever.
We found on inquiry that our camels and baggage had not
arrived, a circumstance which rather surprised us, as we expected
from the view which we had had upon the road that they would
have been in advance of us. Two men were immediately de-
spatched in search of them, carrying a skin of water which we knew
from our own experience would be acceptable, and after sun-set
we had the pleasure of seeing them arrive without any material loss
486
MERGE TO GYRENE.
or accident. It appeared that the road up the mountain which they
had been observed to take terminated abruptly at the foot of a pre-
cipice, a circumstance which greatly surprised them, for the track
which they followed was undoubtedly trodden, and, as it seemed to
them, very recently. No outlet, however, was on any side visible,
and as they stood pondering on the object of a road which led only
to the base of a high perpendicular cliff and was closely hemmed in
by thickets and brushwood, they thought they heard a mill at work,
the sound of which seemed to come from above*. As they looked
up with astonishment towards the side of the mountain, from which
the noise apparently came, they clearly heard a soft female voice
issue from it, and soon perceived two very pretty young Arab girls
looking out of a square hole on the side of the precipice, at the
height of about an hundred and fifty feet above their heads— the
place being not only inaccessible from below but equally so from
above, and indeed on all sides of it, owing to the smoothness and
perpendicular surface of the cliff in which it was formed.
When their surprise was a little abated our servants requested
some water, but were told that there was none in the house ; the
girls inquiring at the same time where our people were going, and if
they belonged to the English at Grenna. They replied in the affir-
mative, and said they had lost their way. One of the females then
asked how many the party consisted of, and were answered, fifteen,
* The mill used for grinding corn by the Arabs is nothing more than a small flat
stone on which another is turned by the hand, and this is usually placed in the lap of the
women, who are the only millers and bakers in Arab families.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
487
though there were only two ; the remainder, it was added, were
close at hand in the wood. This embellishment was intended as a
defensive measure to conceal the actual weakness of the company, for
the elevated position of their fair auditors had not made the most
favourable impression upon our servants ; who suspected that per-
sons living so far out of reach, must have stronger reasons for moving
so far from their fellow-creatures, than was consistent with honesty
and peaceable intentions. Accordingly when the girls had ex-
plained that the road which they were seeking led over the plain
below, (where their fathers, they said, were cutting corn,) our wan-
derers turned to retrace their steps and descend the mountain-path
as fast as possible ; not a little anxious with regard to the reception
they might experience on their route from neighbours of a more
formidable description than the elevated little personages who had
addressed them. As they began to descend one of the girls again
called to them, and letting down a long rope made of twisted skins
with knots in it two feet apart, desired them to make their water-
skin fast to the end of it, with which, as the skin was empty, they
willingly complied, choosing rather to run the risk of losing it
altogether than to forego a possible chance of getting it replenished.
The skin was quickly hauled up, and disappeared through the hole,
leaving its owners in anxious suspense, not so much on account of
the hide itself as of its anticipated contents. They had however no
reason to repent of their confidence, for the skin very shortly made
its appearance again and proved to be nearly full of water, to
the delight of our thirsty attendants; who after expressing their
488
MERGE TO GYRENE.
gratitude for the supply, continued their journey with renewed
strength and spirits, and arrived at Cyrene in the evening, as we have
already mentioned above.
We found Mr. Campbell in quiet possession of the tents. He had
had a good deal of trouble with our escort Boo Buckra, who had
caught a fever, and nearly lost his life in consequence of repeatedly
cramming himself with bazeen immediately after he had been
physicked and bled.
On arriving at Cyrene we began to make inquiries respecting the
water which we had been told we should find at Apollonia, and dis-
covered that a spring in reality existed, at a short distance only
from the place, but situated in the depth of a ravine, so as not to be
easily perceived. We had observed the remains of an aqueduct,
leading in the direction of this very ravine, and had an idea of
exploring the wady in search of the spring which originally supplied
it. But finding no stream crossing the plain or issuing from the
ravine (or wady) in question, we concluded that it existed no
longer ; and as we had little time to spend in curiosity determined
upon pushing on as fast as possible to Cyrene, where we knew' that
our resources were certain. Having made this discovery, which
secured our supply of water, we determined to return without delay
to Apollonia, and remain there till the fast of Ehamadan should be
concluded, during which time no Mussulman is allowed to eat or
drink while the sun is above the horizon, and consequently the exca-
vations would go on but slowly which we had already begun at
Cyrene. Apollonia remained to be explored and laid down in our '
MERGE TO GYRENE.
489
map, as no opportunity had been hitherto enjoyed of bestowing more
than a slight inspection upon it.
While we were making the necessary arrangements for our depar-
ture, Shekh Aadam, a man of some influence in the place, waited
upon us with an order from Bey Mahommed enjoining him to
render us every assistance in his power. We thought him accord-
ingly a very proper person to accompany us in our visit to Apollo-
nia, as his knowledge of the country would probably be of service in
our researches, while his influence at the same time might prevent
interruption. We had not indeed met with a single individual
either at or in the neighbourhood of the place, excepting the two
fair Tenants of the cliff* who dwelt among the haunts of the eagle ;
but as Arab tribes have in general no fixed habitation, but move as
the season or circumstances direct, we could not tell how long we
might remain unmolested in our rambles among its antiquities.
Shekh AMam was in consequence attached to our party ; and we
again left Cyrene, on the 7th of June, with the intention of pro-
ceeding direct to Apollonia.
The road which leads to that place from the fountain winds
along the foot of the upper range on which Cyrene is situated,
and then taking a north-easterly direction, through a tolerably
level and very fertile country, passes through the ruins of an an-
cient village, where a number of sarcophagi are still visible, ranged
on either side of the path. Here the road turns more to the north-
ward, and leading through a wood, over some stony hills, continues
along a ridge between two deep ravines to the brow^ of the moun-
490
MERGE TO GYRENE.
tains which overlook Apollonia, down which it then winds in a zig-
zag direction, till it reaches the plain on the sea-coast below at no
great distance from the port*.
The whole of this road has been anciently paved, excepting the
parts which have been cut through the rock, where deep marks of
chariot-wheels are still observable. It has also had tombs on both
sides of it, extending the greater part of the way, and has been
defended by forts, the remains of which are visible near the edge
of the lower range of hills. The country through which it passes
is highly interesting and beautiful ; near Cyrene it has been cleared
from the wood which originally covered it, and appropriated to
the cultivation of grain : this part is fertile in the extreme, and is
succeeded by beautifully undulating ground overspread with flower-
ing shrubs, which thicken as they approach the top of the lower
range, where they are lost in dark forests of pine extending them-
selves down to the beach. The intermediate space between the
corn-land and the forest has probably been laid out in villas and
country residences, for we observed many ground-plans of buildings
scattered over it which are not those of tombs or military works.
As this part is wooded, the remains are not visible till they are
very closely approached, so that there are probably many which
have never been visited and certainly many which we never ex-
amined ourselves; not indeed owing to want of inclination, but to
the circumstance of our not having more time at our disposal
than was necessary for objects of more immediate importance.
* Apollonia, formerly the port of Cyrene.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
491
On our return to Apollonia, by the road which we have just
described, we noticed several excavated chambers in similar positions
to those which our servants had mentioned : they wexe cut in a
ravine to the westward of our path, many hundred feet above
the level of the torrent, in places apparently inaccessible. We
found, on inquiry, that whole families resided in them, ascending and
descending by means of ropes ; and indeed we ourselves could see
persons in some of them who appeared to be reconnoitring our move-
ments. It was late in the evening before we reached the plain upon
which Apollonia is situated, and so dark in the thicker parts of the
wood which reaches from the top to the bottom of the hills that we
could scarcely distinguish our way. As we were leading our horses
down a very steep part of the road we came suddenly upon a
large hyaena, which we should not have seen if he had not been
perched upon a mass of rock somewhat higher than our heads,
lying close by the side of the path. The foremost of our party had
drawn a horse-pistol and was in the act of presenting it to this
unv^elcome visitor, when he opened a howl which so startled our
horses that we had the greatest difficulty in holding them, and
turning himself round, walked slowly up the side of the hill, evi-
dently in no way disconcerted at our appearance. As we did not
wish to fire if it could have been avoided, we made no attempt to
molest him in his retreat ; for the report of our fire-arms would have
alarmed the whole forest, which we understood to be much infested
by hyaenas and jackalls. As it was, the dismal howl which our
shaggy friend uttered was echoed immediately by the shrill cries of
numberless jackalls, none of which, however, were we able to see,
3 R 2
492
MERGE TO GYRENE.
and the plain was reached without interruption. We had been so
much accustomed to the cry of the jackall, an animal very common
in northern Africa, that it would not of itself have engrossed our
attention for a moment ; but although we had very frequently been
disturbed by hyaenas, we never found that familiarity with their howl
or their presence could render their near approach an unimportant
occurrence ; and the hand would instinctively find its way to the
pistol before we were aware of the action, whenever either of these
interruptions obtruded themselves closely upon us either by night
or by day. It must, however, be confessed that the cry of the jackall
has something in it rather appalling, when heard for the first time at
night ; and as they usually come in packs, the first shriek which is
uttered is always the signal for a general chorus. We hardly
know a sound which partakes less of harmony than that which is
at present in question ; and indeed the sudden burst of the answering
long-protracted scream, succeeding immediately to the opening note,
is scarcely less impressive than the roll of the thunder-clap immedi-
ately after a flash of lightning. The effect of this music is very much
increased when the first note is heard in the distance, (a circumstance
which often occurs,) and the answering yell bursts out from several
points at once, within a few yards, or feet, of the place where the
auditors are sleeping. The jackall can never be a formidable animal
to anything but sheep and poultry, unless, perhaps, when the num-
ber assailing is very great ; but it is usually so little molested by the
Arabs, whose dogs protect their live-stock from harm, that we have
frequently gone close up within a few yards of one, before he would
turn to walk away. The same indifference in retreating is also pecu-
MERGE TO GYRENE.
493
liar to the hyaena, who not only walks away very slowly when
advanced upon, but appears at the same time to have a limping
motion, as if he were lame of one leg. The hyaena most commonly
seen in the north of Africa is that which is striped in the back, black
and grey ; its paws are scarcely more formidable than those of a large
dog, but its teeth and neck are very strong, and there is no animal
fiercer when wounded or closely attacked.
We arrived at Apollonia late in the evening, and set out early
the next morning, to find the spring which was said to exist in a
neighbouring ravine. We followed the course of the aqueduct
mentioned above, which appeared to us to finish at the mouth of the
wady ; but our companion, Shekh Aadam, pointed out to us a spot
where it was continued over the hill and along the side of the preci-
pice: this w^as probably done to avoid the rush of water which
thunders down the vallies after rain, and brings with it large stones,
trunks of trees, and other matters, sweeping everything before them
in their course. As the aqueduct was constructed of stone, and
covered over apparently with the same materials, besides being coated
in the inside (or water-course) with cement, there does not seem to
be any objection to its having been carried out of the level. We pro-
ceeded up the ravine nearly a mile and a half, and then came to a
stream of water issuing out of the rock at some distance above,
which descended in little cascades and was lost in the bed of the
wady. The sides of this ravine are nearly perpendicular, and about
five hundred feet in height : near the top we observed two caves,
situated as those were which have already been described ; and had
494
MERGE TO GYRENE.
some conversation with the people who appeared at the entrance of
them. We made them understand that we should like to ascend
and pay them a visit in their aerial abodes, but as they seemed to be
unwilling to admit us, we did not press the subject any further *. The
lower parts of the ravine are thickly covered with pine, olive, and
carob trees, and the whole has a very wild and picturesque appear-
ance.
The town of Apollonia, now called Suza Hammam, from the
number of wild pigeons that frequent it, is situated at the bottom of
an open bay, formed between Eas El Hilal and the cape known by
the name of Eas Sem. It stands close to the sea, upon a small
eminence, or long narrow slip of elevated ground ; and is situated
at the extremity of a fertile plain, which extends itself from the foot
of a ridge of mountains, distant a mile and a half from the sea coast,
and running in an east and westerly direction. The length of the
city may be reckoned at nearly three thousand English feet, and its
greatest breadth at scarcely more than five hundred. It has been com-
pletely surrounded by a very strong wall, with quadrangular turrets
on three of its sides, and circular ones of much larger dimensions on
the remaining side (that to the westward). As the wall has been
carried along the brow of the hill, more attention has been paid to
its strength than to its symmetry, but the turrets are for the most
tolerably equidistant, being about eighty yards apart. The two cir-
cular turrets at the north-western angle of the wall have been built
with even greater attention to sohdity than other parts of this well-
* These are the caves which we have given in the drawing, p. 493.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
495
defended town ; for they have been exposed for ages past to the
wash of the sea without suffering any material injury. On the
northern and north-eastern sides, however, the sea has made consi-
derable inroads, and very few traces of the wall are there remaining
O’
some parts being wholly without any. The east end of Apollonia
appears to have been fortified as a citadel, for which its elevated posi-
tion above the rest of the town appears to have been admirably
adapted. The cliff on which it stands rises perpendicularly from
the lower part of the city, and could only be approached by a narrow
pass and by a gate in the outer wall. The walls themselves are here
doubled and still rise, though not entire, to a height of thirty and
forty feet. The quarries which have been excavated about this and
other parts of the walls, serving the purpose of an excellent fosse,
contribute also very materially, as will be observed in the plan, to the
strength of the city of Apollonia. The entrances to the town are
all of them narrow (the widest of the gates being no more than five
feet across) ; and their positions, in the angles formed by the wall with
the turrets, are remarkably well chosen for the purposes of security
and defence. There appear to have been seven gates on the south
side of the city, including that belonging to the citadel, and one,
near the centre, on the western side, which are all that we were able
to discover any traces of : indeed this number of gates, for the size
of the city, will be considered unusually large ; and were it not for
the intervention of the quarries between the city walls and the plain,
would have tended to weaken the position. Opposite the largest of
the gates on the south side of the town is a spacious semicircular
496
MERGE TO GYRENE.
excavation, the sides of which rise perpendicularly to a considera-
ble height, and which appears to have formed an approach to the
gate here alluded to. Close to this is a remarkably strong fort, built
with sloping sides, like those at Ptolemeta, and others already
described in the Syrtis. Here also pass the remains of the aque-
duct which formerly supphed the town from a spring of most delight-
ful water, situated at the extremity of the ravine which we have
mentioned above, and distant nearly four miles from the town.
The sea has encroached very considerably at Apollonia ; and it is
difficult to say, in what the shelter of the harbour consisted : the line
of coast is too strait to afford any protection ; and it seems probable,
that the small island to the northward of the town, and a reef of
rocks a little to the south-westward of this, constituted the only
shelter which it afforded. We had imagined, that a communication
might formerly have existed between the island and the reef of
rocks here alluded to ; but it soon appeared that the water was
much too deep between these, to allow of any such idea being rea-
sonably entertained. The same cause would also have operated very
effectually in preventing the construction of an artificial communi-
cation betw'een the points which we have just mentioned ; for the
heavy sea which rolls into the port in windy weather would soon
have swept away anything less than the Breakwater at Plymouth.
Had such a communication ever existed, the harbour would have been
a most excellent one ; but as we cannot suppose that it ever did,
from the reasons which we have stated above, we may conclude,
perhaps, that vessels usually laid under the lee of the island, and that
MERGE TO GYRENE.
497
when this was impracticable, they were drawn up on the beach.
We may believe at the same time, that what art could effect in the
flourishing periods of Cyrene was done for the improvement and the
security of its port, as we find it to have been with regard to the
defence of the town*. Extensive remains of building, apparently
the foundations of a quay, are still visible, stretching out from the
beach into the sea, at the depth of a few feet under water. Some
quarries, which have been formed in the rock to the north-eastward
of the town, are also now under water ; and the insulated tomb, which
forms so striking an object in the view we have given of Apollonia,
is always surrounded by the sea when the wind sets in strong from
the northward f. Other tombs on the beach are likewise filled on
these occasions ; as well as some large cisterns to the north-eastward of
the town, through which the water roars with a noise like thunder,
and dashes up through the apertures formed in them above. The
cisterns here alluded to were probably appropriated to the use of
the vessels in the harbour, which might have been watered from
them very conveniently ; and they might at all times have been
kept filled with excellent water by means of the aqueduct mentioned
above. We have already noticed the encroachments of the sea
upon the land, which we ourselves have had occasion to observe in
several parts of the coast from Tripoly to Eengazi, as well as those
* The port of Apollonia is mentioned by Scylax, in conjunction with that of Naustath-
mos, as having been secure against all weathers ; and his description of the little rocky
islands and projecting points in this neighbourhood is, even at the present day, very correct.
t We are sorry to say that this view, with some others, which we could have wished
to introduce, have been unavoidablv omitted.
408
MERGE TO GYRENE.
mentioned by other writers on the coasts of Tunis and Algiers.
The present state of Apollonia affords another decided instance
of the advance of the sea to the southward; and portions of the
elevated ground on which the front of the town has been built
are continually falling in from this cause. The scene of the
principal theatre situated without the wall, to the eastward of
the town, has been wholly swept away by the waves, although the
quarry in front of it must have greatly contributed to break the force
of the sea in this quarter. It will be seen by the plan of the town
of Apollonia, that a part of this theatre is built against the wall of
the citadel, and the other part against the high ground behind the
subsellia. The seats appear in consequence to have been approached
from above, we mean, from the ground on a level with the upper,
most range ; and as the greater number of the ranges are still very
perfect, the effect of the whole building is that of a stupendous flight
of steps leading down from the elevated ground against which they
lean to the beach on a level with the orchestra. It is this effect,
we presume, which induced Signor Della Celia to notice the seats
of the theatre as a “ magnificent staircase*;” and it must be con-
fessed that a more noble flight of steps will not often be seen
than the one which is in question. This building, like those of a
similar nature at Cyrene and Ptolemeta, has no interior communica-
tions ; and the body of the people appear to have entered from
* Sulla spiaggia v’hanno maestosi ruder! di caseggiati, con avanzi di magnifica scali-
nata presso al mare. (p. 155.)
MERGE TO GYRENE.
499
above, as we have already observed. It is probable, however, that
some approach to the orchestra (where the seats allotted to persons
of rank were usually placed) was contrived from the lower ground
upon a level with it ; but the whole of that part has been so com-
pletely washed away, that we had no means of ascertaining what
arrangements had been made there. The road to the theatre
appears to have been through the quarries to the south-eastward
of the town ; and the gates by which the audience approached it
w'ere probably the two which lie to the eastM’ard of the aqueduct,
and that which was appropriated to the citadel
ithin the w^alls, to the southward of the town, there appears to
have been a small building of a circular form, sunk below the level of
the soil about it, in which there are traces of several ranges of seats,
which might have belonged to a small theatre of some description,
perhaps to an Odeum ; but the whole is so much buried with soil, in
which grass (when we saw it) was growing, that it would be impos-
sible to obtain any details of it, without a good deal of previous exca-
vation. It will be seen by a reference to the plate, p. 500, in which
those details are given, that the ground-plans of some of the build-
ings of Apollonia may be made out with tolerable certaintyf . The
Christian churches, in particular, are very decided ; as well as the
remains of a noble building of a similar form at the western ex-
* These remarks will be better understood by a reference to the plan of Apollonia
annexed.
t U e had proposed to give these plans in a separate plate, upon a larger scale, but a
subsequent arrangement has prevented us from doing so, and we refer to them accord-
ingly as they are found in the plan of the city.
3 S 2
500
MERGE TO GYRENE.
tremity of the city. The handsome marble columns, which now
encumber the structures which they once contributed so materially
to adorn, afford evident proofs that no expense had been spared
in the erection of these magnificent buildings ; for the material of
which their shafts are composed is not found in this part of the
coast of Africa, and must have been transported at great labour
and cost from the quarries of distant places On the centre of the
shaft of some of these columns we found the figure of a large cross
engraved ; they have all been originally formed of single pieces,
some of which still remain entire, and would be no unappropriate
or inconsiderable ornaments to churches of modern construction.
The discovery of these splendid monuments of Christianity in a
country now labouring under ignorance and superstition, afforded
pleasing memorials of early piety, and recalled the active times
of Cyprian and Anastasius, of the philosophic Synesius, (himself a
Cyrenean) and other distinguished actors in those memorable scenes
which northern Africa (from Carthage to Alexandria) once pre-
sented to an admiring world. But the grass is now growing over
the altar-stone, and the munificence which gave birth to the struc-
tures here alluded to is visible only in their ruins f .
♦ Pi'obably from the shores of the Red Sea, where there is a great variety of coloured
marble.
-|- The bishoj)ric of Ptolemais was transferred to Apollonia (then called Sosuza), as
that of Gyrene had been formerly to Ptolemais. The present Arab name of the port is
Marsa Susa, which is evidently a corruption of the Ghristian appellation of this ancient
harbour of the Gyrenaica.
A-K.ffllHlt'iPIBIBS'irnaAE, @1F Mlffi 10®]Sira3 SaCOAVAMlB ^©ElIISB A‘JP OTEEKflffi.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
501
CHAPTER XVIII.
Observations on the Position of Ras Sem — Remarks of Bruce connected with this place — Diffi-
culty of reconciling the several positions assigned to it — Extravagant Stories related of its
Petrifactions, supposed to be those of Human Beings — Fallacy of these Statements as
recorded by Shaw — Report of Petrified Remains at Ghirza made to Captain Smyth by Mukni
(Bey, or Sultan, of Fezzan) during the progress of his Excavations at Lebda — Journey of
Captain Smyth in search of the objects described to him — Description of the actual Remains
at Ghirza — Monumental Obelisk discovered there, and Tombs, combining a mixture of the
Egyptian and Grecian styles of Architecture — Indifferent Taste and Execution of these
Remains— Veneration in which they are held by Mahometans of all classes, who suppose them
to be Petrified Human Beings of their own persuasion — Geographic Position of Ghirza
determined by Captain Smyth— Further Observations on the Remains at Apollonia — Return
of our party to Cyrene — Account of that City continued.
In concluding our account of that part of the coast which lies between
the promontory called Ras Sem and Derna, we may observe that the
name of the first-mentioned place, however it may have originated,
is not at the present day known to the Arabs, at least not to any of
whom we inquired for it. Rruce and Hr. Shaw have described it as
situated in the interior ; the former at five long days, the latter at
six days’ journey to the southward of Bengazi. The term Ras,
which in Arabic signifies a head, is the usual Arab term for a promon-
tory, and it is in this sense that we find it adopted in modern charts
to distinguish the headland above mentioned. But the place which
502
MERGE TO GYRENE.
is alluded to by Shaw and Bruce is not, as we have stated, on
any part of the coast, but lying at a distance of several days from it,
that is to say, south of Bengazi ; and Bruce translates the name which
has been given to it differently, calling it the Fountain and not the
Head of Poison, as Eas Sem is commonly interpreted ; probably from
the indifferent quality of the water which he found there in a very
disagreeable spring impregnated M'ith alum. We are not prepared
to reconcile the different positions assigned to the fountain or the
promontory in question ; but have chiefly adverted to it on account
of the fictions which have been circulated with respect to its alleged
petrifactions. It appears, as reported by a Tripoline Ambassador
resident in London about an hundred years ago, on the authority of
a friend of his, a person of great veracity, and of a thousand other
people besides— all, no doubt, of equal respectability— that “ a large
town was to be seen at Eas Sem, of a circular figure, w hich had seve-
ral streets, shops, and a magnificent castle belonging to it.” “ Olive
and palm trees were found there, among others, turned into a bluish
or cinder coloured stone, and men were conspicuous in different
attitudes, some of them exercising their trades and occupations,
others holding stuffs, bread, &c., in their hands. Women at the same
time were observed giving suck to their children, or busy at the
kneading trough or other occupations. A man was to be seen on
entering the castle lying upon a magnificent bed of stone, and guards
were still visible standing at the doors armed with their pikes and
spears. Animals of different sorts (nay, the very dogs, cats and mice)
were observed by some persons converted into stone, and all of the
MERGE TO GYRENE.
503
same bluish colour Here we have evidently the description of an
ancient city, with its buildings and statues, converted by the fertile
imagination of the Arabs, and other ignorant spectators of its
remains, into the fancied semblances mentioned. It is probable that
one of the cities of the Pentapohs, Gyrene perhaps, as having most
statues, was the petrified city in question ; and we may venture to
say that there is scarcely an individual who has travelled in
Mahometan countries who has not been induced to take journies of
inquiry on the authority of similar fictions. Happy are they who find
the least resemblance between the description which they have heard
and the reality ! — for it often occurs that amplification and hyperbole
have less to do in such accounts than pure invention. Shaw was
encouraged, as he himself informs us, to undertake a very tedious
and dangerous journey to Hamam Meskouteen in Numidia upon
the authority of Arab reports ; he had been assured, with the most
solemn asseverations, that a number of tents had been seen there,
with cattle of different kinds, converted into stone. On arriving,
however, at the place, he had the mortification of finding that all the
accounts which he had heard were idle and fictitious, without the
least foundation, unless in the wild and extravagant brains of his
informers. “ Neither (he continues) will the reports concerning the
petrified bodies at Kas Sem deserve any greater regard or credibility,
as will appear from the following relation f.”
* See Shaw’s Travels in Barbary vol. ii. p. 286.
•f “ About forty years ago, when M. Le Maire was French consul at Tripoly, he made
great inquiries, by order of the French court, into the truth of this report; and
504
MERGE TO GYRENE.
A similar disappointment was experienced by Captain Smyth, who
was induced, from the report of the Sultan of Fezzan, an eye-witness
of the scene he described, to undertake a journey to Ghirza ; and as
he has obligingly favoured us with the details of it, we submit them to
the inspection of the reader in the form in which they were extracted
from his private journal.
“ During the time I was excavating amongst the ruins of Leptis
Magna, the Arab Sheiks who visited my tent frequently remarked
that I should have a better chance of finding good sculpture in the
interior, and made many vague observations on the subject, to which
amongst other very curious accounts relating to the same place, he told me a remarkable
cix-cumstance to the great discredit and even confutation of all that had been so positively
advanced with regard to the petrified bodies of men, children, and other animals. Some
of the J anizaries who, in collecting the tribute, travel over every year one part or other
of this district of Ras Sem, promised him that, as an adult pei'son would be too heavy
and burdensome, they would undertake, for a certain number of dollars, to bi’ing him
from thence the body of a little child. After a great many pretended difficulties, delays,
and disappointments, they produced at length a little Cupid, which they had found, as
he learnt afterwards, among the ruins of Leptis ; and to conceal the deceit, thev broke
off the quiver and some other of the distinguishing characteristics of that deity.
“ M. Le Maire’s inquiries (he continues), which we find were supported by the promise
and performance of great rewards, have brought nothing further to light. He could
never learn, after sending a number of persons expi-essly, and at a great exjoense, to
make discoveries, that any traces of walls or buildings, animals, or utensils, were ever to
be seen within the verge of these pretended petrifactions. The same account he heard
from a Sicilian renegado, who attended him as Janissary while in Egypt, and assured
him that he had been several times at Ras Sem ; and also from another Sicilian rene-
gado, whom the Bashaw of Tripoly had appointed Bey or Viceroy of the province of
Derna, where Ras Sem M'as immediately under his jurisdiction.”
MERGE TO GYRENE.
505
I paid little attention at the time. On my return to Tripoli however,
Mukni, sultan of Fezzan, had just returned from a marauding expe-
dition into the interior ; and in a conference I held with him, he
assured me that within the last month he had passed through an
ancient city, now called Ghirrza, abounding in spacious buildings,
and ornamented with such a profusion of statues as to have all the
appearance of an inhabited place. This account, supported by several
collateral circumstances, impressed me with the idea of its being the
celebrated Ras Sem, so confusedly quoted by Shaw and Bruce, and
consequently inspired me with a strong desire to repair thither.
“ Accordingly Colonel Warrington and I waited on the Bashaw,
requesting permission to undertake the journey, with which he
immediately complied. Only, as his eldest son, the Bey of Bengazi,
was in rebellion against him, and might by seizing the Consul-general
and myself demand terms which his Highness would find it difficult
to accede to, he wished us to proceed Muth a small force to the
mountains, and there be reinforced according to the actual state of
the country. His Highness also signified his desire that Seedy
Amouri, his son-in-law, and Seedy Mahomet his nephew, should
accompany us. He moreover furnished us with his Teskerah (an
authority for being gratuitously subsisted by the Arabs), though we
never used it but to insure a supply, and always made a present in
return, proportionate to the value of the articles provided, being of
opinion that availing ourselves otherwise of this document would be
detrimental to future travellers.
“On the 28th of February 1817, we left Tripoli before sunrise,
506
MERGE TO GYRENE.
accompanied by the two Seedies, an escort of twenty-six Moorish
cavalry, and several camels. Proceeding by the fertile grounds of
Sahal, we rode southward in the direction of the hills ; but before
quitting the plain, our companions saluted us and each other by
firing their guns whilst riding at full speed, in imitation of desultory
attack and defence, which, allowing for the difference of weapon,
shewed a striking resemblance to their ISTumidian ancestors. As we
advanced up the hills we found the country beyond the tower of
Grara, neglected ; the clothing and equipments of the inhabitants
were also more rude and scanty than in the plains.
“ On the 2nd of March we passed an old tower called Gusser-Kzab,
in the plain of Frussa, where, about three years before, a considerable
treasure had been discovered in gold and silver coins, of which how-
ever I was unable to procure a single specimen, they having been all
taken to the coast of Tripoli, where they were most probably melted,
and their date and story lost for ever. Proceeding from Frussa over
a sterile and fatiguing district, we arrived about noon on the 3rd at
the Wadie of Benioleet, where, having been expected, the principal
people came out to welcome us, and some met us even as far off as
the valley of Mezmouth. This, though only a distance of four or five
miles, is a very laborious and dreary ride, over a rocky tract, exhibit-
ing a remarkably volcanic appearance, from a black substance
resembling porous lava, lying upon a bed of tertiary limestone, and
forming, perhaps, a part of the Harutsch of Horneman. The melan-
choly aspect of these hills renders the first view of the Wadie of
Benioleet, with its houses, fields, and palm trees, extremely pictur-
MERGE TO GYRENE.
507
esque, and the additional bustle occasioned by our arrival gave
great animation to the whole scene.
“ Benioleet consists of several straggling mud villages on the sides
of a fertile ravine, several miles in length, and bounded by rocks of
difficult access. The centre is laid out in gardens, planted with date
and olive trees, and producing also corn, vegetables, and pulse. This
valley is subject to inundation during the winter rains, but in sum-
mer requires to be watered with great labour by means of wells of
extraordinary depth. It is inhabited by the Orfilla tribe, which
amounts to about two thousand souls, subsisting chiefly by agricul-
ture and the rearing of cattle, aided only in a trifling degree by a
manufacture of nitre ; they are accounted hardy, brave, and indus-
trious, but at the same time dishonest and cruel. A large and ill-
proportioned building called the castle, near one of the pleasantest
spots in the ravine, was prepared for our reception, and a plentiful
supply of victuals and forage provided. Though commanded at
almost every point, this is the principal fortress ; it contains several
apartments, good stabling, and a large court-yard, but the water
must be drawn from a very deep well at the distance of a musket-
shot. The walls are badly perforated for musketry, and flanked Math
round bastions, too weak to bear artillery.
“ Having found several people here who had recently arrived from
the place I was bound to, I repeated my inquiries respecting the
sculpture, and again received positive assurances that I should see
figures of men, women, children, camels, horses, ostriches, &c., in
perfect preservation ; and the belief of their being petrifactions Mas
3 T 2
508
MERGE TO GYRENE.
SO prevalent, that doubts were expressed whether I should be able
to remove any one of those whom it had pleased Providence thus to
punish for their sins.
“ On the 6th, after our party had been joined by three mountain
chiefs, Mahmoud, Abdallah, and Hadgi Alii, with twenty-five Janis-
saries, and fifteen camels laden with water, barley, tents, &c., we pro-
ceeded over a hilly and bare country to the southward. On the 7th
we arrived at a well of bad water called Kanaphiz, in an open space
nearly surrounded by the Lodz hills. We found a small Kaffle
there from Fezzan, and purchased of the Moors a quantity of exqui-
site Sockna dates, and some dried locusts. We were exceedingly
tormented here by the numerous ticks that swarmed over the whole
plain, and teazed alike both ourselves and our horses. On the 8th
having passed the range of Souarat, we advanced through a pretty
valley called Taaza, neglected, but evidently capable of improve-
ment, from the luxuriant myrtle, lotus, juniper, cypress, and other
plants, flourishing spontaneously. I also observed many trees
called Talha, from which a gum exudes resembling that brought
from the forests on the north-west of the Zaara ; and probably it is
the same tree, for it is of stunted growth, with small brownish
leaves, though its character is rather that of a rhamnus than a
mimosa.
“ In the evening we arrived at a brackish well of great depth called
Zemzem, from having been blessed by a holy Marabut, and thence
is derived the name of the whole Wadie, which running towards
the north-east reaches the Syrtis below Turghar. Intending to
MERGE TO GYRENE.
509
pitch our tents here, we had first to burn away the stubble to destroy
a species of venomous spider, from the bites of which we had two or
three narrow escapes, saving ourselves only by killing them suddenly
on the spot with a smart blow, the moment we saw them upon us.
Ghirrza, the scene of the extraordinary story so extensively propa-
gated, being only within three or four miles of this place, occasioned
me a restless night : so that early on the morning of the 9 th I
eagerly sat off over the hills, and after a short ride the ruins of
Ghirrza abruptly met my sight.
“ I instantly perceived the error of some writers, in ascribing cold
springs and moving sands to this spot, for the site is mountainous
and bare, presenting only dreary masses of lime and sandstone,
intersected with the ramifications of the great wadie of Zemzem.
And although I had not allowed my imagination to rise at all in pro-
portion to the exhilarating accounts I had heard, I could not but be
sorely disappointed on seeing some ill-constructed houses of compara-
tively modern date, on the break of a rocky hill, and a few tombs at
a small distance beyond the ravine. On approaching the latter I
found them of a mixed style, and in very indifferent taste, ornamented
with ill-proportioned columns and clumsy capitals. The regular
architectural divisions of frieze and cornice being neglected, nearly
the whole depth of the entablatures was loaded with absurd repre-
sentations of warriors, huntsmen, camels, horses, and other animals
in low relief, or rather scratched on the freestone of which they are
constructed. The pedestals are mostly without a dye, and the sides
bore a vile imitation of arabesque decoration. The human figures
510
MERGE TO GYRENE.
and animals are miserably executed, and are generally small, though
they vary in size from about three feet and a half to a foot in height,
even on the same tombs, which adds to their ridiculous effect ; whilst
some palpable and obtruding indecencies render them disgusting.
“ Across a fine but neglected valley, to the south-eastward, in which
were numerous herds of wild antelopes, and a few ostriches, is a
monumental obelisk of heavy proportions, and near it are four tombs
of similar style and ornament with the first set. These are remark-
able however as more strongly combining a mixture of Egyptian and
Greek architecture, and are placed so as to give a singular interest to
the scene. There are but three inscriptions, and those are compara-
tively insignificant, nor can other particulars be learned, the whole of
them having been opened, in search probably of treasure, but as no
person permanently resides near the spot, I was deprived of any local
information. A wandering Eedoween, who had been some time in
the Wadie, brought me a fine medal, in large brass, of the elder
F austina, which he had found in the immediate vicinity.
“ The tombs appear to have remained uninjured by the action of
either the sun or the atmosphere, excepting only a deep fallow tint
they have imbibed ; — the sculpture therefore, as we must call it,
remains nearly perfect. As these edifices are near the Eezzan road,
people from the interior have occasionally tarried to examine them,
and being the only specimens of the art they ever saw, yet repre-
senting familiar objects, they have described them on their arrival at
the coast in glowing colours. It is this nucleus, which rendered
more plausible, perhaps, by the story of Nardoun, soon swelled into
MERGE TO GYRENE.
511
a petrified city, and at length attracted the curiosity not only of
Europe, but obtained universal belief in Africa. It has been deemed
a species of pilgrimage to resort thither, as the caravan passes, and
inscribe a blessing for the supposed unfortunate petrified Moslems,
and with these the pedestals are actually covered. Thus, notwith-
standing the diminutive size and despicable execution of these bas-
rehefs, the Turks who accompanied me eyed them with admiration
and respect, pointing out to my notice that the horses had actually
four legs, and other similar trifles. Never, in fact, has a palpable
instance occurred to me, so strongly indicative of the degradation of
mind inflicted by the Mahometan tenets on its votaries ; nor could
I but regret to find men, in many respects estimable, so benighted,
and so glaringly deficient in the discernment bestowed by edu-
cation.
“ Ghirrza is situated near some barren hills called Garatilia, and
from its want of water, and sterile, comfortless appearance, could only
have been a military post in communication with Thabunte, and the
stations along the shores of the greater Syrtis. The wadie, indeed,
may have been formerly well cultivated, being even now covered
with spontaneous vegetation and flourishing talha, cypress, lotus,
and other trees. I observed no traces of roads or aqueducts, during
my short stay, but I was too much occupied with my operations for
determining the geographical position of the place, to extend my
researches to any distance*.
* The position of Ghirrza, and of several of the most conspicuous objects on the road
to that place from Tripoly, are as follows ; —
Ghirrza
512
MERGE TO GYRENE.
“ On the 1 1th I wished to proceed to Towergha, and Mesurata, and
thence to Lebida, but we had so many men and camels belonging to
Benioleet, that it became necessary to return to that place. On our
arrival there, we found the inhabitants eager to learn our opinion of
the petrifications of Ghirrza, and they were evidently chagrined when
they found we had brought some specimens away with us, thereby
dissolving the favourite axiom respecting the futility of attempting
to remove them.”
Such was the result of Captain Smyth’s journey to the petrified
city at Ghirza ; by which, notwithstanding it fell short of his expecta-
tions, more was obtained than those travellers are generally fortunate
enough to meet with who have an opportunity of comparing the
objects described with the florid description of them by Turks and
Arabs. With regard to the Eas Sem of Shaw and Eruce, it is difficult
to say what place is intended in the accounts which these writers
have given of it ; for we have already observed that no part of the
Cyrenaica is known at the present day by that name to the Arabs of
the district, at least not that we were able to ascertain ; and we are
inclined to believe that one of the cities of the pentapolis is in reality
Ghin-za Ruins
Benhoulat Square Tower
Benioleet Castle
Wady Denator-huts .
Wou-lad-ben-Merian Pass
Wahryan Mountain-summit
Latitudes.
Longitudes.
o
31
07
16 .
o
. 14
40
50
31
28
10 .
. 14
18
15
31
45
38 .
. 14
12
10
31
52
10 .
. 14
03
50
32
21
40 .
. 13
34
22
32
07
50 .
. 13
02
10
MERGE TO GYRENE.
513
the place originally alluded to in the extravagant reports of the
natives, and of others who may have visited the country in question.
The distance of five and six days south of Bengazi would not certainly
correspond with the position of any one of these cities ; but it appears
to us more probable that a place of some importance would be
selected, in preference to one of inferior consideration, as the theme
of a tale so marvellous ; and there can be no remains in the position
alluded to which may at all be compared with those of the Pen-
tapolis.
^^^e shall now resume the thread of our narrative, and proceed to
finish our account of Apollonia.
It will be observed, in referring to the plan of that city, that the
greater part of the wall is remaining ; and we have never seen so
good an example of ancient fortification (the wall of Teuchira
excepted) as that which it still alFords. It has been strengthened by
quadrangular turrets, at intervals of about eighty yards, and the
gates have in general been placed in the angles formed by the wall
with the towers, a position which rendered them less accessible when
besieged than if they had been otherwise situated. All the turrets,
however, are not square ; for one at the south-west corner is circular,
as are also two of much larger dimensions on the north-western side
of the city, which are about eighty feet in diameter, and have been
built uncommonly solid to resist the wash of the sea. At the oppo-
site corner of the town there is nothing remaining but the founda-
tions of one of the towers and a part of the wall extending westward
from it along the beach : these were, however, sufficient to determine
514
MERGE TO GYRENE.
the limits of the town in that direction. It will be observed that this
wall is only apparent as far as (m), beyond which is a large space
where everything is buried in sand, and a conjecture arose whether
it might not have continued along the cliff leading to the tower (n) ;
but traces of it were again discovered near point (o), with two turrets
and other evident remains to the westward of it, which determined
its continuation along the beach to (p). We afterwards found that
the cliff just alluded to formed a boundary to that portion of the town
which appears, from its great strength, contracted limits, and elevated
position, to have been the citadel. There are but two approaches
to this fortress ; one from the town at (r), and another by a very nar-
row gate at (s) from without. The whole of the south-eastern corner
is high, and extremely difficult of access, on account of the quarries
which surround it forming a trench of considerable dimensions.
The town appears to have been purposely destroyed, and the wreck
of building with which it is incumbered renders the examination of
the ground-plans very difficult and tedious, indeed for the most part
impossible. Of the five principal buildings laid down in the plan of
the city we contrived to obtain, with a good deal of trouble, some
comparatively satisfactory measurements, (a) and (b) were unques-
tionably Christian churches ; and must have been erected ,at great
expense, from the costliness of the material employed for their
columns (a species of marble somewhat resembling Tripoline).
The building marked (d) has been one of no ordinary importance,
and seems to bear more resemblance to a Basilica than to any other
public edifice. It will be observed that the semicircular part of this
MERGE TO GYRENE.
515
structure has a different aspect from those of the churches, both of
which are at the eastern extremities where the altars appear to have
been placed. The columns of the basilica (if so we may call it) are
also composed of handsome coloured marble— we mean the shafts of
the columns, for the capitals are of white marble. The remaining
two, (c) and (e), appear to have been dwelling-houses of a superior
description, (e) has had immediate communication with the turret
close to which it is placed on the southern side of the town ; and a
long colonnade running parallel with the sea has been erected close
to the other dwelling-house leading along the edge of the cliff
towards the eastern church. On the south side of the town, without
the walls, there is another large building (h), which seems to have
been a fort and to have contained quarters for soldiers. A road,
inclosed by large stones placed upright, has been purposely carried
close along the eastern side of this structure, and turning short round
it through an archway has led to the semicircular excavation opposite
to the gate (1), one of the principal entrances to the city. We will
not pretend to fix with any certainty the date of the buildings we
have here alluded to ; but we should consider them to be decidedly
Eoman, and the employment of Corinthian capitals and shafts of
coloured marble would seem to favour this opinion. It is not
improbable that the churches may have been erected in the time of
Justinian, although we do not recollect that they are mentioned by
Procopius in his account of the works of that emperor.
In the quarries which inclose the walls, serving, as we have already
stated, the purpose of trenches, there are a good many excavated
.3 u 2
516
MERGE TO GYRENE.
tombs; but they are all so much decayed that it was not worth
while making plans of them, and those farther from the city are in
no better state ; some are filled with sand washed in by the sea,
which has encroached considerably upon the land at Apollonia, and
surrounds occasionally some very conspicuous tombs which form
striking objects to the westward of the town.
On the two islands which are opposite the town there are some
excavations and remains of building ; but as we had no boat with us,
and none is to be found in the neighbourhood, Apollonia, not being
used in modern times as a port, we were unable to ascertain their
precise nature. The islands are very small, but the town receives
great protection from them in northerly gales, although the shelter
which they afford is not sufficient, we should imagine, for vessels,
even if there should be water enough inside them.
By the 20th June we had completed our plan of Apollonia, which,
from the incumbered state of the ruins, was no easy task to accom-
plish, and we think that little more could be satisfactorily made out
without removing the heavy blocks of stone which are everywhere
scattered over the town : but this labour would probably be greater
than the object appears to demand, since the ground-plans which
remain are not of any great antiquity, and, with the exception of the
churches, and perhaps the other buildings which we have given, do
not seem to call for much more attention than we were able to
bestow upon them. We must confess we should have liked to
remain there a little longer to have excavated about the largei
theatre, where statues would probably be found ; we say the larger
MERGE TO GYRENE.
517
theatre, because a circular space within the town appears, as we have
mentioned, to contain one of smaller dimensions, which must be
cleared from the soil and vegetable matter with which it is covered
before anything can be determined with certainty respecting it. If
a theatre has stood here it must have been a very small one, of a cir-
cular form, and, unless appropriated to musical performances, appears,
to be unfit for any other. Without the town, to the westward and
southward, excavation would probably be interesting ; and indeed
there is hardly a spot in the habitable parts of the Pentapolis where
objects of interest would not in all probability be found. In the space
between Apollonia and Derna there are remains of several ancient
villages and stations, where we could have very much wished to
excavate ; and in that between Apollonia and Cyrene there appears
to be a great deal of matter for inquiry. The embarkation of heavy
objects would be difficult at Apollonia on account of the little depth
of water near the beach ; it might, however, be managed, and would
at any rate be preferable to the transport by land-carriage to Eengazi
or Derna, which indeed may be said to be wholly impracticable on
account of the frequent deep ravines and dangerous mountain-passes
which intervene.
During the time, about a fortnight, of our absence from Cyrene,
the changes which had taken place in the appearance of the country
about it were very remarkable. We found the hills on our return
covered with Arabs, their camels, flocks, and herds ; the scarcity of
water in the interior at this season having driven the Bedouins to
the mountains, and particularly to Cyrene, where the springs afford
518
MERGE TO GYRENE.
at all times an abundant supply. The corn was all cut, and the
high grass and luxuriant vegetation, which we had found it so diffi-
cult to wade through on former occasions, had been eaten down to
the roots by the cattle : the whole face of the country was parched by
the sun, and had assumed a deep brown and yellow tint instead of
the rich green which it had worn on our first arrival ; a hot wind
was blowing, which had all the character of a sirocco, though coming
from a north-west quarter, and the thermometer stood constantly at
97° in the shade, a degree of heat we had not before experienced at
Cyrene.
The scorching quality of the north-westerly gale may probably be
attributed to the heat of the ground in the hollows about the place,
for we did not experience any great degree of heat at Apollonia (we
mean, not from the wind, for the sun was very powerful) where the
same breeze Came to us immediately from the sea. The excessive
dryness of the atmosphere of Cyrene at this time may be readily
conjectured from the indication of a very good hygrometer which we
had with us, which showed 55 during the period in question, an
extreme which we had never before seen it mark.
We found afterwards that at Malta, on the same days, they had
experienced a strong sirocco wind, and had had the thermometer at
95°. It may be remarked generally of the heat of northern Africa that
it has not often that oppressive quality so much complained of in
other hot latitudes ; and it does not appear to be at all unhealthy, as
we often find it to be in damp climates. The sun, however, is
uncommonly powerful, and it is necessary for those not accustomed
MERGE TO GYRENE.
519
to its influence to keep the head well covered if they would avoid a
coup-de-soleil. The force of habit will at the same time enable
Europeans to encounter much more heat than they would venture
to subject themselves to on first arriving from more temperate
regions : we found that we could walk about the whole of the day
(which we were obliged to do in making our plans) without feehng
more than what may be termed inconvenience ; and the greatest
annoyance was the reflection from the ground on our eyes and lips,
which the masses of white stone among which we had to scramble,
in examining and taking measurements of the ruins, made stronger
than is felt in cultivated places : these become so hot from ten or
eleven o’clock till sunset that the atmosphere about them is like that
of an oven ; the heat which is reflected from them absolutely
scorches, and the eyes of persons lopg exposed to its influence would
probably suffer materially. For the rest, the heat may be borne
without prejudice (especially through the folds of an ample turban)
unless a greater freedom of diet be indulged in than is prudent
in any hot climate. We saw very few serpents in the Pen-
tapolis, and very few scorpions, even among the ruins, where they
are generally fond of hiding themselves; but the grass land, at
Cyrene in particular, is much infested by a dark-coloured centiped,
almost black, with red feelers and legs ; we usually found half a
dozen of them in taking up the mats in our tents, and had great
difficulty in killing them. Any part which chanced to be separated
from the rest of the body would continue to run about as if nothing
had happened, and were the reptile even divided into twenty pieces
!
520 MERGE TO GYRENE.
each part would travel about, as if in search of the others, without
any of them seeming to be the worse. The only mode by which we
could kill them at once was by crushing the head, which effectually
destroyed life in every other part instantaneously.
On arriving at Gyrene we immediately resumed our examination
of the antiquities of the place, and were able to make out the ground
plans much better than on former occasions; in consequence of
finding the grass eaten up by the cattle and sheep of the Bedouins,
I whom the scarcity of water, as we have already mentioned, had driven
to the heights where the fountains are situated.
At the conclusion of the sixteenth chapter we have noticed two
I theatres, near wBich our tents were pitched, and shall proceed to
give some description of them. We found them both so much
incumbered with the soil which had accumulated about them, in
which the grass springs up to a considerable height, that, had it not
been for the semicircular shape of the green masses which presented
I themselves to our view, we should not have suspected them to have
■ been theatres. The columns which once ornamented the back of the
scene in the largest of these buildings had been thrown (for they coidd
scarcely have fallen) from the basement on which they formerly stood,
, and crossed our track in various places along the whole length of the
i range : among them were several statues, which appeared to have been
portraits, executed wath great freedom and taste, and beyond were the
I Corinthian capitals of the columns which had rolled, in their fall, to
I
I some distance from the shafts. These, as well as the bases, were
t'
; composed of a fine white marble, the pohsh of which was in many
i
i
iii
‘ii
il I
L .
MERGE TO GYRENE.
521
cases very perfect ; and the shafts (of coloured marble) were formed
of single pieces, which added considerably to the effect produced by
the costliness of the material. From these circumstances, as well as
from the resemblance of the draperies in which the statues were
wa'apt to the toga, it seems probable that this theatre was Roman ;
but the execution of the capitals and bases have none of that dege-
neracy of style which characterizes the works of the lower empire ;
and we should be disposed to attribute them to the time of Augustus
or of Hadrian, when Roman art was undoubtedly entitled to our
respect, and (we may also say), in various instances, to our admi-
ration. The whole depth of the theatre, including the seats, the
orchestra and the stage, appears to have been about one hundred
and fifty English feet, and the length of the scene about the same.
The porticoes at the back of the seats are two hundred and fifty feet
in length, and the space between these and the colonnade at the back
of the scene is of equal extent. The whole building would thus
appear to have been included in a square of two hundred and fifty
feet, not including the depth of the portico behind the subsellia,
which is at present rather uncertain, 'fhe theatre has been built,
like many of the Greek theatres, against the side of a hill, whicli
forms the support of the subsellia ; and the highest range of seats
appears to have been upon a level with the platform from which
it was approached at the back. On this level also are the porticoes
behind the seats ; which would seem to prove, if other evidence
were wanting, that the cunei were not approached by internal
passages, of which there are no indications, but from the platform
522
MERGE TO GYRENE.
just mentioned (on a level with the highest range of seats) from
which the spectators descended to the lower ranges. There appears
to have been a row of columns, inclosing the uppermost range of
seats ; and as we found several statues in the orchestra, close under
the subsellia, it may perhaps be supposed that the upper part of
the theatre was decorated with these ornaments, the place of which
was probably between the columns of the peristyle in question, since
the statues appear to have fallen from some place above the level
of the seats; and we know of no situation more appropriate for them
than along the colonnade we have mentioned.
This theatre is placed by the side of the road leading down to the
fountain, and must have been a beautiful object when perfect ; the
richness of the materials of which the columns were formed, adding
greatly to the effect of the building, if not in point of taste, at least
in point of costliness and splendour. The style and execution of
the remaining parts of this structure have not however been ne«--
lected ; and we often stopped to admire the beauty of the Corinthian
capitals, which were carved with great sharpness and freedom, and
exhibited considerable taste of design. The position of this building
will be seen in the ground plan of the city (p. 520) ; it is the most
northern, and the largest of the two. The plan of the other theatre
differs mateiially from that of the one which we have just described,
and its proportions are also very different. The depth of the
orchestra is much less in proportion to its width, and the space
allotted to the seats is at the same time greater for the size of the
building. Instead of being approached from above, as that which
MERGE TO GYRENE.
523
we have first mentioned ajjpears to have been, there are five
passages (or vomitoria), by which the spectators entered, and two
communicating with some place beneath the front of the stage which
are so much blocked up with rubbish, occasioned chiefly by the fall
of the roof, that we could not explore them to the end. These
passages descend very abruptly towards the centre, and appear to
communicate with the same point, or with each other ; they have
been arched with blocks of stone, ranged longitudinally, and are of
very good construction. We were able to go down tliirty-two feet
in one of them, after some little trouble in clearing the entrance ; but
the impediments which then presented themselves were too serious
for our time and resources. A casual observer would not have been
aware that there were any passages in this theatre by which the
spectators entered, so much w^as the whole building covered with
soil and vegetation ; and it was only on close examination, that some
appearance of the arched roofs which covered them was discernable ;
and we determined upon excavating in the same line below.
It soon appeared, that passages really existed ; and we succeeded
in clearing one of them sufficiently to determine the fact beyond
dispute. W e found that the roofs descended with the seats, some
of which they probably supported, but the floors appear to have
been level ; or, at least, the inclination is so slight (if there be
any) as not to be ascertained by the eye. In the course of this
excavation we found that some of the rows of seats w'ere hollow ; and
were in hopes of discovering a further confirmation of the circum-
stance mentioned by Vitruvius, that the Greeks were in the habit
3X2
5-24
MERGE TO GYRENE.
of appropriating hollow spaces beneath the seats of their theatres to
the reception of brazen vases, by means of which the sound was con-
siderably improved. We were led to imagine the possibility of this,
from the fact of the spaces to which we allude having been carefully
formed, and not left merely for the purpose of saving material, or
adding to the lightness of the building. We found nothing, how-
ever, which could be said to verify the conjecture ; and a few frag-
ments of pottery, which were picked up in some of these apertures,
were all that presented themselves, in confirmation of the practice
alluded to, during the progress of our excavation*.
* The passage of Vitruvius in question, is as follows, as we have exti-acted it from
Wilkins’s translation : —
“ From the foregoing investigations,” — those of Aristoxenus on the doctrine of har-
mony, “ brazen vases have been made upon mathematical calculations, proportioned to
the magnitude of the theati-e. They are so constructed, that upon being struck, they
form amongst themselves concords of the fourth, fifth, regularly in succession, on to the
double octave. They are then arranged amongst the seats of the theatre according to a
certain musical proportion, in cells made for their reception. They ought not to be
placed in contact with the wall, but have a vacant space above and around them. They
should be inverted, and the edge next the stage raised by means of wedges, six inches
in height at the least : apertures ought to be made in the seats of the lower I'ow, oppo-
site to the cells, two feet in width, and one in height.”
“ If the theatre be not very spacious,” continues our author, “ thirteen arched cells
will be sufficient, in which as many vases are to be placed in the order which he pro-
ceeds to point out, by observing which, the voice,” he says, “ which diverges every where
from the stage, as from a centre, striking each of these hollow vases, will acquire an
increase of clearness and strength, and at the same time produce corresponding tones in
concord with itsown sounds.” “ It may, perhaps, be said,” continues Vitruvius, “ that
many theatres are built every year at Rome, in which no attention has been paid to
these points : the objection, however, is not applicable ; because it is not considered that
all public theatres constructed with wood have many surfaces, which act as sounding-
MERGE TO GYRENE.
525
We must observe, with respect to the passages which we have sup-
posed to have been used as entrances to the theatre, that they were
boards. The truth of which will be manifest, if we observe those who sing to the harp ;
who, whenever they wish to sing in a higher tone, turn themselves to the leaves of the
scene ; from which they receive the assistance of corresponding sounds. But when
theatres are not sonorous, in consequence of their being built with solid materials, such
as stone or marble, whether wrought or unhewn, it then becomes necessary to have
recourse to the expedient just explained. Many skilful architects, who have built
theatres in small towns, have, in order to lessen the expense, adopted vases of pottery
instead of brass, of the same pitch ; and, by arranging them according to these principles
have produced the most useful effects.”
We may remark on this subject, that it has hitherto been doubted, by persons well
qualified to judge of architectural details, whether the practice alluded to by Vitruvius
in the foregoing passage, was ever really adopted by the ancients for the purpose which
he mentions. Mr. Wilkins has noticed a passage in Pliny, which alludes to a mode of
building peculiar to the walls of theatres ; in the construction of which, hollow vessels
of earthenware were immured, and whenever it was required to prolong the vibrations,
or to increase the powers of the voice, the orchestra was strewn with sand or saw-dust,
by which means, the voice being directed to the body of the house, the sounds were
carried along the walls so long as there was no impediment to obstruct their course ;
whereas, in the walls of other edifices, the interior space between the two faces of the
wall was filled in with rubble. “ In describing this mode of building,” continues Mr.
Wilkins, “ Pliny might have had our author in view ; whose mention of vases received
a degree of confirmation from the fact, that earthern vessels were sometimes inserted in
the masonry of ancient buildings. An instance in which this practice has been adopted,
occurs in the Circus of Caracalla. Vases are there found regularly distributed in the
stone work above the crown of the arches, which were constructed for the purpose of
giving a proper degree of elevation to the seats of the spectators. The object of their
introduction seems to be the diminution of weight. Vitruvius confesses (Mr. Wilkins
adds) that there was no theatre at Rome which had vases for such a purpose ; although
he states them to have been in use in the provinces of Italy, and in most of the cities of
Greece. It is certain, however, that in the various theatres which have fallen within our
observation, no provision has been made for the reception of vases, in the situation which
Vitruvius assigns to them.”
Since the publication of Mr. Wilkins’s Vitruvius, the researches of Mr. William Bankes
526
MERGE TO GYRENE.
all of them on the same level, and had no other communication than
with a preecinction, a few feet above the orchestra ; how many cannot
well be ascertained, as we could not, in the present state of the build-
ing, determine the position of the lowest range of seats, and the height
of it from the level of the orchestra. The sides of the passages were
cased with stone and marble, and decorated with architectural orna-
ment ; but we could not ascertain the elevation of the front pre-
sented to the stage, no portion of which is standing : perhajjs, among
the ruins which encumber the orchestra some details of this might
be found ; but the little time which we had to excavate did not
allow us to search for them long, and some fragments of Doric
columns were all that we dug out, except blocks of stone and marble.
The passages were perfectly strait, and communicated direct with
the lower ranges of seats, from which the spectators must have
ascended to the upper ones ; but we could not perceive any remains
of staircases, which were not perhaps necessary, considering the
moderate size of the building. No portion of the stage, except the
lower part of a w'all, is now remaining, which indeed seems rather to
have formed a part of the proscenium, as it appears to be somewhat
have fortunately enabled him to throw light upon the subject in question ; for in Syria
this gentleman discovered a theatre which was constructed in the manner alluded to by
Vitruvius, and in which some of the vases were actually found in the situations which he
has assigned to them.
We had flattered ourselves on first perceiving the hollow spaces, which were left under
the seats of the theatre which we are describing at Gyrene, that we had ourselves disco-
vered a second confirmation of this practice ; but no brazen vases appeared in the spaces
in question ; and the few remains of pottery which we found in some of them, will not
even justify us in asserting that they contained originally vases of earthenware.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
527
in advance of the stage itself. The width of the orchestra where it
joins the proscenium is not more than sixty feet, and its depth about
eighty. The depth of the whole space occupied by the seats is not
more than forty feet. There are extensive remains of building which
appear to have been attached to this theatre, on its eastern side :
they seem to have inclosed public walks, and have been surrounded
by porticoes, and strong w^alls of considerable height, in one of which
a gate still remaining has been formed communicating directly with
one of the principal roads. In the neighbourhood of the theatre we
have last mentioned, there are still many statues above ground,
in excellent style. One of these, from the representation of the
Ammon’s head, and the eagles which ornament the armour, is pro-
bably a statue of some one of the Ptolemies ; and near it is a
female statue, one of the Cleopatras, Berenices, or Arsinoes, per-
haps, of the family.
We washed to have introduced a drawing which w^e made of the
hgure first mentioned, the ornamental parts of which are beautifully
executed ; but our limits will not allow of it. The head and limbs
are wanting, but the trunk, clothed in armour, is a beautiful example
of taste and execution. It is of white marble, much larger than life,
as is also the female statue near it, of corresponding dimensions.
There are several other statues above ground in this part of the
city, in the best style of Grecian art ; and many good examples of
Roman sculpture, or it may be Roman portraits, executed by Greek
artists, which we should rather conclude from the excellence of the
workmanship employed in them, and from the fact of Cyrene having
528
MERGE TO GYRENE.
been a colony of Greeks, even when under the dominion of
Eome.
Every part of the city, and indeed of the suburbs, must have for-
merly abounded in statues ; and we are confident that excavation
judiciously employed, in many parts even indiscriminately, would
produce at the present time many admirable examples of sculpture.
We will now proceed to give some account of the amphitheatre, of
which considerable remains are still extant without the walls to the
westward of the town, and which must have been in its perfect state
a very conspicuous object from the sea. It has been constructed on
the verge of a precipice, commanding a most extensive and beautiful
view, and receiving in all its purity the freshness of the northern
breeze, so grateful in an African climate. Part of it is built against
the side of a hill which formed the support of the ranges of seats
fronting the precipice ; and that portion of it which bordered upon
the verge of the descent rose abruptly from the edge, hke a stupend-
ous wall, overlooking the country below. The foundations of this
part of the amphitheatre were, it may be imagined, remarkably strong,
and they still remain to a great extent very perfect ; but all the seats
which they supported have been tumbled at once from their places,
and lie in masses of ruin beneath. This appears to have been occa-
sioned by a part of the substructure having given way ; and as we
imagine the whole side to have fallen at once, the crash must have
been a tremendous one. On the opposite side, (that which rests
against the hill,) nearly forty rows of seats are still remaining, one
above the other; and as each of these are fifteen inches in height, the
MERGE TO GYRENE.
529
edge of the precipice appears from the upper seats to be close at the
foot of the ranges, although the whole of the arena intervenes, and
it often made us giddy to look down from them. As the lower
ranges of seats are not in their places, it is difficult to ascertain the
diameter of the arena, but it seems to have been more than a hundred
feet across ; and to have been, like that which we have mentioned
at Ptolemeta, of a perfectly circular form. There is no appearance
of any praecinctions, owing probably to the absence of interior com-
munications, which are not to be found in this building ; and it seems
to have been chiefly approached from the top, which is equal in
height with the level summit of the hill, against which the seats
are on this side built. The most natural approach would certainly
have been that which leads from the fountain of Apollo, along the
edge of the descent which we have mentioned : this will be evident
from the plan of the city; but strong walls, which are undoubtedly of
ancient construction, cross the road here so completely as to preclude
the possibility of any approach from the city to the amphitheatre in
this direction. If the walls which we allude to had not been standing
at the present day many feet above the level of the road, we should
have concluded that they must originally have contained gates which
led to the arena ; but there is no appearance whatever of such com-
munication, even supposing that the gates were approached by flights
of steps, which would not have been an unreasonable conjecture.
The only road which remains (under the difficulties stated) must
at the same time have been a circuitous one ; and as it communicated
merely with the level summit of the hill, against which the seats
530
MERGE TO GYRENE.
rested, any approach to the arena, or other lower parts of the amphi-
theatre, must have been by descents, right and left to them, from the
terrace (or platform) which surrounds the upper range of seats, or by
the staircases leading from it to the lower ranges, of which decided
vestiges are still remaining. The arena seems to have been about a
hundred English feet in diameter, and the seats to have occupied a
space of about eighty feet in depth ; if we reckon the level space (or
platform) inclosing the amphitheatre at twenty, the whole building
will have stood upon three hundred feet of ground. It conld not be
ascertained whether any subterranean chambers existed communi-
cating with the arena, as this part is incumbered with the ruins of
the fallen seats, and we had neither time nor means to excavate in
search of them ; we should rather conclude that there were not ; for
on the north side, where no seats are remaining, (all this portion
of the building having fallen down the cliff,) the substructure is
very apparent, and no arrangement appears to have been made for
vaults. There are remains of a Doric colonnade along the edge of
the cliff, forming the north side of one of the spaces walled in to the
eastward of the amphitheatre, the capitals of which are beautifully
formed, exhibiting all the sharpness and taste peculiar to the early
manner of executing the order. Both these inclosures appear to
have been appropriated to the amphitheatre,^ — perhaps as public walks
for the use of the audience ; but it is difficult to say how they were
approached, either from the east or from the west ; and the two
other sides are inaccessible, in consequence of the abrupt
descent of the cliff to the northward, and the rise of the
MERGE TO GYRENE.
531
mountain to the southward of the inclosures. We have already said
that there is no appearance of any gates, by which the amphitheatre
could have been accessible from the eastward, through the walled
spaces here alluded to ; but we think there must have been a commu-
nication originally, although there are at present no traces of any.
There is a small building close to the eastern wall of the inclosures,
apparently of very early construction : it is a simple quadrangle,
without any interior divisions ; and the remains of several columns,
all of which are not apparently in their original places, are still visible
on the north side of the structure, but none are observable on the
other sides. This building has also no gate, and it is evident from
the appearance of the walls, all of which are standing, that there
have never been any formed in it ; v,e will not pretend to say for
what purpose it may have been erected.
In returning from the amphitheatre to the city, the road skirts
the edge of the cliff, which descends everywhere abruptly, and the
soil is kept up by strong walls along the brink of the descent, without
which it would be washed down by the winter rains, and the build-
ings in time undermined. It is over a part of this wall that the
fountain of Apollo (which in ancient times was copiously distri-
buted over the city and fertile lands of Cyrene) now precipitates
itself, as it probably did in its natural state, into the plain, and finds
its way to the sea. Near the end of this wall begin the ranges of
tombs which skirt the northern face of the mountain below the city,
descending in galleries one above another, till they reach the level of
the plain at its foot. The summit is occupied by part of the city ;
.3 Y 2
533
MERGE TO GYRENE.
and the edge of the descent was here, as in front of the fountain,
skirted by a wall running along the whole line of the cliff, till it
joined that which enclosed Cyrene to the westward. From this
portion of the mountain descend five large ravines, once thickly
wooded with pine and other trees, which have been cleared for the
use of the town, and to disencumber the ground appropriated to the
tombs. Some of the ravines are, however, still partially wooded, in
many places very thickly, and springs of excellent water are found in
various parts of them.
The north side of the town, from its present appearance, does
not seem to have been ever much inhabited, and very few remains
of dwelling-houses are observable there. The buildings Avhich still
exist are however of an interesting character, and excavation would
be particularly desirable in this part. Two eminences which rise
conspicuously aboA^e the general level of the summit are occupied by
the ruins of spacious temples, and close to the Avestern wall of the
city is all that remains of the stadium. The largest of the temples
(we mean the sedes, without the columns) is a hundred and sixty- nine
English feet in length, and its breadth sixty-one feet. It is of the
Doric order, in its early style ; and the capitals, AAhich with the
columns are lying on the ground, still exhibit marks of excellent
taste and execution, though very much defaced by time ; they
measure nine feet across, and the capital and abacus are of one
piece. The form of this building is peripteral ; but the columns on
the sides appear to have been tAvelve in number, which is one more
than is alloAved to temples of that class by Vitruvius, supposing the
MERGE TO GYRENE.
533
edifice to be hexastyle ; for in peripteral temples the number of
intercoluraniations on the flanks should, according to this author,
be only double those of the front. That there were twelve columns,
however, appeared evident on the first inspection, from the existing
number of capitals lying on one of the sides of the temple ; and on
adding two spaces, and the diameters of two columns to the length
of the aedes (or body of the temple), which is, as we have stated from
actual measurement, a hundred and sixty-nine English feet, and
comparing this measurement with that of twelve columns and eleven
spaces, the first number given was two hundred and five, and the
latter two hundred and four, which result was quite near enough
to be conclusive of the fact. In this calculation we have taken the
diameter of the columns, as they measured within an inch or two, at
six feet ; and supposed the intercolumniation to be systyle, that is
two diameters of the columns. The same calculation applies equally
to the breadth of the temple, which would seem to prove that the
intercolumniation assumed was correct, — six columns and five spaces
giving ninety-six, — and the breadth of the mdes, with two spaces, and
the diameters of two columns added, ninety-seven ; bringing the
results within one of each other, as in the instance just given with
regard to the length. Traces are still remaining of a pronaos and
posticus; but one of the walls of the pronaos (the oidy one re-
maining) has a very decided return of two feet (at its central
extremity) in the direction of the cella. The depth of the posticus
is at the same time much greater than that of the pronaos, and
rather more than half as much as that of the cella : this distribution
534
MERGE TO GYRENE.
/
is, however, consistent with the character of the chmate ; for the rain
falls very heavily, and almost incessantly, during the winter season
at Cyrene ; and the unusual space given to the posticus would be
found very serviceable to the inhabitants, particularly as the temple
was somewhat removed from what may be called the inhabited part
of the town. The same reasoning would apply equally in summer
time, for the heat of Cyrene is at that period very great. An addi-
tional motive for increasing the posticus so much beyond its usual
dimensions would be found in the width of the ambulatory (which is
regulated by that of the intercolumniations), for the systyle species is
too contracted to afford much shelter on any occasion ; and we may
probably assume, from the calculations above stated, that the temple
in question was in fact of that species, although the intercolumniation
could not otherwise be ascertained, on account of the encumbered
and ruined state of the building, which we had no opportunity of
excavating.
We should mention that the walls of the mdes have decided
returns of six feet both in front and rear of the temple, towards the
two columns which range in a line with them ; they are about four
feet and a half in thickness, and one of the stones of which they were
composed measured fifteen feet in length.
The smaller temple, like that which we have just described, was
built upon a rising ground, and had the additional elevation of a
very solid basement or substructure, considerably raised above the
level of the summit of the hill, part of which (about four-and-twenty
feet) has been left as a kind of terrace round the building. The
MERGE TO GYRENE.
535
disposition of the columns is by no means evident in this temple, and
the number is very uncertain ; but the ambulatory must have been
a good deal below the pavement of the aedes, since there is no space
allowed for it upon the basement we have mentioned ; and it must
consequently have been upon the terrace beneath it, which a})})ears to
have been left for that purpose. The columns must therefore have
been unconnected with the roof, and have merely supported the
covering of the ambulatory. Indeed, it seems likely that the portico
was altogether detached from the aedes, and judging from the remains
of a wall, which appears to be part of the original plan, and the position
of a column without it, we may perhaps suppose that it was situated on
the edge of the terrace above-mentioned ; and that the whole space of
four-and-twenty feet between this wall and that of the fcdes, was a
space between the portico and the body of the temple, which does
not appear to have been covered in. In this disposition we imagine
the wall just alluded to to have formed the back of the portico, and
the column, still remaining, to have been one of the range which
supported its roof in front. Immediately below this column the
ground descends, and traces may be observed of steps leading up
to it.
In the aedes there seem to have been only apronaos and cella; and
in the latter is a detached mass of building, raised above the level of
the other parts of it, for which we are wholly at a loss to account,
there being no analogy between its disposition and that of any part
of a cella in its usual arrangements.
The length of the aedes is a hundred and eleven feet, and its
536
MERGE TO GYRENE.
breadth fifty feet ; the outer walls are four feet in thickness, and
that of the pronaos somewhat more than three. The capitals of
some fluted columns which are now lying at the foot of the hill on
which the temple stands, are of no established order of architecture,
and may perhaps be said to be a mixture of Greek and Egyptian ;
a coalition which w'e should certainly expect to meet with at
Cyrene, but of which we recollect to have seen only a few in-
stances. Close to this building, on its northern side, is the quarry
from which the stone employed in its construction w'as probably
taken, forming a deep trench at the foot of the hill. The aspect of
both temples is nearly east, as is usual, we believe, in buildings of
such a description.
To the eastward of the larger temple, and close to the city walls,
are the remains of the stadium, part of which is excavated in the
rocky soil on which it stands, and those parts only built which the
rock could not supply. Its length is somewhat more than seven hun-
dred feet, and its breadth about two hundred and fifty. The course is
now so much buried, and overgrown with long grass and other vegeta-
tion, that the mode in which it was disposed could not be ascertained
with any certainty ; neither is it easy to decide clearly how much space
Avas allotted to the seats, which do not occupy at present more than
five-and-thirty feet on either side. The whole is, in fact, (like the
temples,) in a very ruinous state, and nearly all the constructed part has
disappeared. There are two masses of building to the north-westward
of the stadium, which appear to have had some connection with it,
but we will not venture to state any decided opinion with respect to
MERGE TO GYRENE.
537
their precise use. One of them is a solid quadrangular mass, now
about five feet in height, which appears to have been intended as a
station merely, from which the horses and chariots of those contend-
ing for the prize might be inspected as they entered or came out of
the stadium, for it is not sufficiently elevated to command a view of
the course. It is fifty-eight feet in length by eighteen in breadth,
without any appearance of having been more than a kind of raised
platform, unvaried by architectural ornament ; and we have only sug-
gested the use for it mentioned because we cannot in fact assign any
other to it. The second may, perhaps, have been a small temple, or
some building in which the contending parties, and those who had
the management or superintendence of the games, might assemble to
make arrangements respecting the course, or to settle any differences
which might arise with regard to the race. Its form is similar to
that of a temple, without external columns ; but there is some
appearance of there having been a colonnade attached to it, sup-
ported by the walls of the building. It is raised upon a small
eminence, about an hundred feet to the westward of the terrace,
near the entrance of the stadium. Westward of the circular part of
the hippodrome, and to the south-east of the largest of the temples
which have been described, is a walled space of ground of consider-
able extent, which may have been appropriated to the gymnasium ;
but there is so little at present remaining within its limits, that we
will not venture an opinion respecting it. We could very much
have wished to excavate in parts of this inclosure, as well as about
the temple themselves, but our time and means would not allow of
538
MERGE TO GYRENE.
it : the stadium would probably afford little of interest, for the stones
which were employed in its construction appear to have been carried
away in later times to serve in other buildings ; and, indeed, little more
could be expected from excavating the temples, than fragments of
architecture too much decayed by time to render them particularly
useful in furnishing details, or of statues which enthusiasm and
bigotry have probably defaced, if they should even have been spared
by the hand of time.
The city walls approach closely to the southern extremity of the
stadium, and are in this part very decided. They begin from the
verge of a deep ravine, as will appear by the plan, and continue in
an unbroken line to the spacious reservoirs (at the south-eastern
angle of the city) which are mentioned in the publication of Dr.
Della Celia. Here we lose traces of them, but they again make their
appearance on the south side of the buildings just alluded to, and
extend to the brink of the large ravine with which the aqueduct
communicated. Beyond this (the aqueduct), a wall was unnecessary,
for the mountain descends perpendicularly to the bed of the ravine,
and renders all approach to the town in this direction impossible ;
and as the wall of the aqueduct has not been built with arches, but
carried along the mountain in a solid mass, it would have been fully
sufficient for the purpose of defence, and was probably built solid
with this intention.
Square towers were attached to the city wall in various parts, not
apparently at regular intervals, but approaching each other more
closely where the ground was low, and consequently more favourable
MERGE TO GYRENE.
539
to the attack of an enemy. Several parts of the wall have been
excavated in the rocky soil on which they stood, and building only
employed where the rock was not sufficiently high to render it
unnecessary. It should be stated, that the masses of rock here
alluded to were not of the nature of a cliff, but detached masses
rising in irregular forms as well from within as without the walls. It
is evident, as will appear by the plan of the city, that the line of
wall was continued round the large reservoirs above mentioned, so as
to inclose them completely within its limits, a precaution which might
naturally be expected in a climate where water is so valuable. If the
winter rains should fail, which we should scarcely think possible at
Cyrene, these cisterns might have been filled from the aqueduct
which communicated with the principal fountain, for although it
only extended across the high ground to the westward of the town,
there are traces of conduits, or water-courses, in every part of the
city, leading towards the place on which it has been built.
We ought not to omit on this occasion a few remarks which are
necessary on the subject of the reservoirs here alluded to, as they
may serve to explain an error into which Signor Della CeUa appears
to have fallen, with respect to the inscriptions which he found in
them. He has informed us, that these inscriptions were in a language
altogether unknown to us, each stone. of the interior wall bearing a
separate letter, so that the inscriptions continued, in parallels with the
ranges of stone, along the whole length of the buildings in question.
The partial absence of light, and the immediate presence of water in
these spacious and gloomy subterranean inclosures, appear to have
3 z 2
540
MERGE TO GYRENE.
conspired, with the inconvenient position which it was necessary for
the Doctor to take, in preventing him from copying more than a few
of them. These, however, he tells us, may probably be serviceable
in contributing towards the elements of languages now wrapt in
obscurity ; languages which are the only means at present afforded
us of checking the various statements which have come down to us
upon the authority of Greek historians, and other writers in that
language, who it is well known (Signor Della Celia observes) were so
much attached to every thing peculiar to themselves, that they could
not avoid pointing out a Grecian origin for whatever bore the traces
of civilization. W e give the passage here alluded to in the Doctor’s
own words*, and proceed to mention, that the letters which compose
his inscriptions have no other meaning than that which is usually
conveyed by what are called quarry marks, and do not form any
“ Ho trovato che internamente ciascuna di queste pietre era scolpita di una lettera
d’ un alfabeto a me ignoto ; cosi la serie di queste lettere veniva a formare una linea, e
queste linee si ripetevano per ogni serie di pietre. Tentai de copiarle, ed entrai con
questo progettoneir aquidotto ; ma tra la poca luce chevi trapeleva da soli luoghi ov’ era
rotto, e Tacqua che spesso a lunghi tratti vi ilstagnava, e I’incomoda positurache doveva
prendere per ben "riconoscerle, dovette ristarmi dall’ intrapresa. Benche questi carat-
teri, del pari che altre iscrizioni segnate sopra queste rovine, appartengano a lingue
perdute affatto ; tuttavolta io non ho mai avvisato essere inutil cosa il registrarli, quando
ini e occorso di trovarne. Oltreche questi caratteri possono per avventura fornire
qualche nuovo elemento agli alfabeti tuttora oscuri di coteste lingue, conservano ancora
solenni documenti de’ popoli a diversa lingua che in queste contrade mano a niano
vennero a stabilirsi. Sono questi i soli documenti che ci ritengano, dall’ abbandonarci
interamente all’ autorita de’ Greci scrittori, i quali si sa che mossi da soverchia tenerezza
per le cose loro, non sapevan temperarsi dal vedere Greche origine ovunque vedean
traccie d’iiicivilmento, e non videro diffatti che Greci, e discendenti dalla colonia di
Tera, nella Cirenaica.” — {^Viaggio da Tripoli, &c. p. 136.)
MERGE TO GYRENE.
541
sentence or any single word. Many of them are Greek letters, which
are occasionally reversed, and placed in various positions, so that the
same letter might at first sight be taken for several others distinct
from itself ; sometimes two or more Greek letters appear together
on the same stone, (occasionally united in a kind of cipher,) and their
forms are often made out so rudely, from the dispatch used in cutting
and often scratching them on the blocks of stone, as not to bear a
very close resemblance to the usual ones. Some of them are not
letters of any kind, but simply marks or characters invented for the
occasion, as will be observed by the instances which are given of them
below *. We fear, too, that even if the characters in question had
really been inscriptions of the greatest importance, they must have
been for ages lost to the world, and were certainly never intended to
meet the public eye by those who had them placed where they are ;
for the whole interior of the cisterns, or reservoirs, upon the stones ot
We take these character.-? from the last page of Signor Della Celia’s book, where they
are inserted without any remarks, and presume that they must be those alluded to , since
all the other inscriptions which he has introduced in different parts of his work are
accounted for, and are either in Greek or Latin. It wall be evident, we think, to
all who are accustomed to see Greek and Roman quarry marks, that the characters in
question are no other, and could never have been found on any single stone.
542
MERGE TO GYRENE.
which they are inscrihed, have been coated with a thick and very hard
cement, which still remains perfect in a great many places. We may
add that these cisterns, which are three in number, one at right angles
with the two others, are partly built, and partly excavated in the rock,
as Signor Della Celia very truly observes. The roofs are arched with
stone and beautifully turned ; indeed, the whole construction of these
vaulted chambers, in which large and very regularly-shaped stones
have been employed, is excellent in the highest degree. Externally,
the roofs are built up on the sides, and form at the top long plat-
forms, or terraces, each of more than a hundred and fifty feet in
length, along which we have often walked with pleasure admiring
the beauty of their structure.
The south-eastern part of the city appears to be that which was
most thickly inhabited, and the number of small buildings crowded
closely together are, in their present state, likely to exercise the
patience of those who may endeavour to make out their ]fians. We
gave up the task as a hopeless undertaking after a few days’ attentive
examination of these remains ; and it seems probable, that if we had
even succeeded in giving all the details which can now be procured
of them, little interesting matter would have resulted from the col-
lection. Those in the centre of the town (in the neighbourhood of
the theatres) are of much more importance ; and the remains in the
space between the theatres and the aqueduct have very consi-
derable interest. We do not think, however, that satisfactory plans
could be given of either without a great deal of excavation, and we
should certainly hesitate in giving names to any which we have not
MERGE TO GYRENE.
543
already described from the details which we were able to procure of
them. In the large inclosed space attached to the smaller theatre,
where there are still traces of colonnades extending three hundred
feet, is a semicircular building situated at the western extremity of
one of the porticoes (or colonnades) here alluded to, which resembles
in its form the tribunal of a basilica. It is possible that this might
have been the forum, as the porticoes would have afforded very
ample convenience in any weather for the transaction of business ;
and its position, close to the principal road leading through the centre
of the town with which it communicates by a gateway, would at the
same time have been equally favourable. Its situation, however,
with regard to the theatre, to which it is decidedly attached, has
rather led us to imagine, that this place contained the covered walks,
or porticoes, for the convenience, or shelter in rainy weather, of the
audience ; as which we have mentioned it above. The central space,
where there are no traces of building, with the exception of a kind
of raised platform opposite the gateway, were most probably in that
case laid out as a garden ; and the whole together would have some-
what resembled in plan the garden and covered w alks of the Palais
Royal at Paris. A very strong wall, on the south side of which is
the gateway, extends at the present day round three sides of the
place ; and the southern wall appears to have been continued about
four hundred feet farther in the same line (turning then to the
north in a Hne parallel with the eastern wall), and to have inclosed
the small theatre within its limits. ATe have already mentioned the
statues w^hich we found in this space, at the back of the theatre now'
544
MERGE TO GYRENE.
alluded to ; and suggested that one of them in all probability was a
resemblance of one of the Ptolemies ; the head of the statue is want-
ing, and we fear it has been knocked off at some period by the Arabs
of the place, for the chance of disposing of it at Tripoly or Bengazi ;
a fate which has befallen many a beautiful example of Grecian art, now
lying in the city and the neighbourhood of Cyrene. It is possible,
however, that it might be found in the course of excavation, although
we did not ourselves succeed in discovering it in the parts where we
dug for it about the statue. We remember to have been very
anxious upon the occasion, and fancied that we should know a head
of any of the Lagides, meet with it wherever we might. It was from
the decorations carved upon the armour, as we have stated in another
place, that we imagined this statue to be the portrait of a Ptolemy ;
and it is well known that the eagle and the head of J upiter Ammon
are usually borne on the coins of that family. If it had been possible,
we should have brought home what remains of this statue (which is
merely the trunk), as well as several other very excellent examples of
Grecian sculpture in its neighbourhood ; and we. are convinced, that
excavation judiciously employed in the central and eastern parts of
Cyrene, would bring to light many beautiful specimens of art, now
covered only with the soil and vegetation which have been allowed
to accumulate for ages about them. There have been several public
buildings of importance immediately without the walls inclosing the
theatre, of which plans might perhaps be satisfactorily made, if exca-
vation were employed for the purpose ; and it is very probable that
inscriptions might at the same time be found, which would help to
MERGE TO GYRENE.
545
throw light upon the nature of the buildings, and to ascertain the
period at which they were erected. There must be a considerable
number of those buried in different parts of the city ; for we never
saw an ancient town in which fewer inscriptions are to be seen than
that of Cyrene ; especially for a town in which literature and the fine
arts were cultivated with so much success. The few which we copied
are scarcely worth inserting, and we shall only give (in addition to
that over the fountain) another in Doric Greek, which is given by
Signor Della Celia, in the reading of which we also differ in some
respects from his copy. It was found upon a stone bearing the form
of a pedestal, immediately without the wall above mentioned ; and the
Doctor has suggested that the remains of a female statue, seated in a
chair, which is lying in the road not far from it, was the representa-
tion of Claudia Arete, the matron, in commemoration of whose bene-
volence and virtue the inscription in question was erected by the
Cyreneans. We give it below *, but are not of opinion that the
’ KAAYAIANAPATANiflAlZKG.
e Y TAT E PA<f> rZ E I AEEY<t)AMClI
MATEPA KA-OAYMniAAOZ
Ai YiH in rrM naxiapxiaoz
APETAZ ENEKA K.YPANAIOI
aZz_ —AT T>\
EYNOIAZ
546
MERGE TO CYRENE.
Statue alluded to by Dr. Della Celia ever occupied a place upon the
pedestal inscribed. Near this female statue is another of a young
man (also without the head) which we never remember to have seen
equalled in Greek sculpture, for the taste and execution of the
drapery.
There are some extensive remains of building, with a very hand-
some colonnade, on the high ground between the small theatre and
the aqueduct, which appear to be those of a palace or other resi-
dence of more than ordinary importance. From the northern
colonnade the ground descends abruptly, and the soil is kept up
by a wall which forms the back part of the chambers built at the
foot of it. These consist of a single range of quadrangular apart-
ments, which appear to have been from twenty-five to thirty in
number ; their length (at right angles with the wall already men-
tioned) is about forty feet, and their average breadth (for they ditfer
in some instances) about twenty. It is not at present evident,
whether these communicated with the building above them or not ;
but one of them has had a wall built across it, opposite to that which
forms the back of the chambers, in which there is no door, so that
there could not have been any access to it from the lower ground.
There is at the same time no appearance of any staircase leading
down to them from above ; and if there had, it would have been
necessary to have built a separate one for each, for they have no com-
munication one with another. We do not, therefore, imagine that
all of them have been closed, but that they had access to the ground
in front of them, and none to the colonnades and chambers above.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
547
That which is built across is placed at one angle of the range, and is
eight feet wider the average breadth, taking it at twenty feet. If a
groom or a coachman were to give an opinion with respect to the
use of the chambers in question, with reference to the structure
above, they would certainly decide, without the least hesitation, that
this uniform, long range of building, was the stabling of the palace,
and could only have been appropriated to the horses and chariots of
the noble Cyrenean who inhabited it. As we have never seen the
stables of any ancient residence, whether Grecian or Eoman, we will
not venture to assign such a use to these chambers ; but it is w ell
known that the Cyreneans were particularly celebrated for their skil-
ful management of horses and chariots, and we must confess, without
being either coachmen or grooms, that such an appropriation did
more than once occur to us *.
There are remains of apartments adjoining each other to the west-
ward of the handsome colonnades which we have mentioned, the
plans of which we would not hazard without excavation ; nor could
we without it complete that of the porticoes, the columns of which
are nearly four feet in diameter. The w hole building appears to
have extended about three hundred feet in a southerly direction, and
to have occupied more than four hundred in length from east to
* The pasturage of Gyrene and Barca was always, as it is at present, abundant ; and both
cities were remarkable for their excellent breed of horses, and their more than ordinary
skill in driving. Pindar gives the epithet eutumr (renowned for horses) to Gyrene ; and
the Barceans, we are told (see the t&nxa of Stephanus), derived their art of rearing
them from Neptune, and their dexterity in the management of chariots from Minerva.
o'l ras l'j^7for^a(pt(ZS' Tta^a. rio!7Ei^ft)vor, 5e •na.^a, •nfj.a^oy.
4 A 2
548
MERGE TO GYRENE.
west. There are remains of much larger columns, near the road, at
the southern extremity of this large mass of building ; and we feel
confident that matter of considerable interest is still to be found
beneath the rich soil which covers it, in their immediate vicinity and
neighbourhood. Corn is now growing over a great part of the ground
in question ; and an old Arab, who was employed in cutting it down,
when we measured the remains of building just described, was greatly
astonished at the trouble we gave ourselves in walking over and
examining them in a very hot day ; when he could scarcely himself
make his mind up to cut down his wheat, which was certainly a
matter (he said) of much more importance. He had his gun ready
charged by his side, and moved it along with him as he changed his
position in reaping ; a ceremony at which we should have been a little
surprised, if we had not before seen frequent instances of similar
precaution in the Arabs of the Syrtis and Cyrenaica. In fact, the
Bedouin, like the Albanian or the Corsican, never stirs out without
his gun, if he has one ; for it rarely happens that any individual has
not some feud upon his hands, and it is necessary to be provided with
the means of defence, in a country where every man is the legal
avenger of his own or his family’s wrongs. We use the term
Bedouin, because, although our swarthy friend was cutting wheat,
he was at the same time a wandering Arab ; and only visited the
place periodically, chiefly during the summer season. For three
parts of the year Cyrene is untenanted, except by jackalls and
hysenas, and the Bedouins pitch their tents chiefly on the low
ground to the southward of the range on which the city is built.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
549
Were it not for its elevated position, Cyrene would probably, on
account of its luxuriant pasturage, and the abundant supply of fresh
water which it possesses, be at all times a favourite haunt of the
wandering tribes of the Cyrenaica : but the Arab, for an active man,
is one of the most lazy of any race of people with which we are
acquainted, and will rather forego a very decided advantage than
give himself much trouble in acquiring or maintaining it ; he would
in consequence easily persuade himself that the advantages which
Cyrene must be acknowledged to possess, would be more than coun-
terbalanced by the trouble of ascending and descending its hills, and
of driving his flocks and his camels to water in places which would
be thought inconvenient.
We are not aware that it will be of any service to dwell further
upon the nature and condition of the buildings of Cyrene ; as much
as we were able to collect (with the time and means which we had
at our disposal) has already been given of the objects most worthy of
notice ; and to say more would only be to ofier conjecture, on subjects
which do not afford sufficient data to authorise particular descrip-
tion.
In fact, the whole of the existing remains of this ancient and once
beautiful city are at present little more than a mass of ruin ; and
the tombs afford the most perfect examples of Grecian art now
remaining in Cyrene. To give plans of half these would be impos-
sible, unless whole years of labour were devoted to the task ; but
we really believe, that any zealous antiquary, any person with
tolerable feeling for the arts, would with pleasure devote every day
550
MERGE TO GYRENE.
to such employment should he find himself stationed for years in
their neighbourhood.
We never, ourselves, passed our time more agreeably, than in
collecting the details which we have been able to procure of them ;
and shall never forget the sensations of delight — we will not use a
less impressive term — which we experienced on our first introduction
to these beautiful examples of Grecian art.
The position of the tombs, as well as that of the city, has been
already described, and too much can scarcely be said in its praise ;
^ve wish that our limits would allow us to give more of the archi-
tectural details of the former than can be collected from the general
view of them ; but we shall probably avail ourselves of some other
opportunity of submitting a few examples to public inspection, and
can only at present refer for some idea of them to the view which
we have just alluded to. To have lived in the flourishing times of
Gyrene would indeed have been a source of no trivial enjoyment ;
and we are ashamed to say how often we have envied those who
beheld its numerous buildings in a state of perfection, and
occupied, in their former cultivated state, the beautiful spots on
which they stand.
We must not, however, take our leave of the city, without advert-
ing once more to the excavated channel that has been formed for the
water of the principal fountain, to which we have formerly alluded.
We had been so much occupied in walking over the ruins, and col-
lecting the details of Gyrene and Apollonia, that it was only the day
before we set out on our return to Bengazi, that we were able to
MERGE TO GYRENE.
551
explore this passage to the end. It is formed entirely in the rock
from which the stream issues, and runs, in an irregular course, for
nearly a quarter of a mile into the bowels of the mountain : the sides
and roof of the passage are flat, where time and the action of the
current (which is very strong) have not worn them away ; but the
bottom is encumbered with stones, bedded fast in a quantity of clay
which has accumulated about it and against the sides. The general
height of this subterranean channel is scarcely five feet, an elevation
which we found rather inconvenient, for it obliged us to stoop a
good deal in advancing ; and as it would not have been possible to
examine the place properly, or indeed to have preserved our
light, without keeping the head and body in an upright position, we
usually found the water making higher encroaches than its chilling
cold rendered agreeable.
In some places, however, where there appear to have been originally
flaws or fissures in the rock, the roof was irregular, and there was room
enough to stand upright, an occurrence of which we very gladly availed
ourselves, to the great relief of our knees. We found the average
width from three to four feet, although in the places just mentioned
it was occasionally as much as six feet ; and were it not for the clay
which has been collected against the sides, we should often have suf-
fered from their roughness. F rom the irregularity of the course of the
passage we were obliged to take bearings very often ; and at each time
w'e stopped for this purpose we took down the distance measiu-ed with
our chain between the point we stopped at and the last ; so that after
much trouble we succeeded in obtaining a tolerably correct plan of the
552
MERGE TO GYRENE.
whole. The length and course of the channel will be seen in the
plan of Gyrene, where it is marked with a dotted line beginning from
the cliff, at the foot of which the fountain now discharges itself,
and runs across the level ground on which the amphitheatre, and
little temple (as we have named it) of Diana are situated. Within
forty feet of the end of the channel (that is to say, about thirteen
hundred feet from its beginning at the foot of the cliff), it becomes
so low, that a man cannot advance farther without creeping upon his
hands and knees, and then finishes in a small aperture scarcely a
foot in diameter, beyond which of course it is impossible to penetrate.
We were not a little surprised at the length of this singular excava-
tion, which seemed, as we advanced, as if it never would finish ; and
as we could not accelerate our mode of operation without sacrificing
the plan of the passage, we had to remain for several hours in the
water before we had completed our task. We must say, however,
that with all the inconvenience of the stooping position which we
were obliged to assume, and the extreme cold of the water, we found
the undertaking a very agreeable one, for the interest naturally
increased with the length of the passage, and we were more than
rewarded for our trouble and temporary annoyance before we reached
the end of the passage. In fact we observed after continuing our
route for some time, that the clay, which we have already mentioned
had been washed down in considerable quantities by the current,
was occasionally plastered against the sides of the passage, and
smoothed very carefully with the palm of the hand: in this we
thought we perceived that something like letters had been scratched.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
553
which we should scarcely have thought it worth while to examine,
had we not been a little curious to know w'hat Europeans had visited
the place before us ; we knew of none besides Signor Della Celia,
who does not appear from his own account to have penetrated more
than a few steps beyond the entrance * — probably to the first turn-
ing, as far as which the light from without would guide him. Our
first conclusion was, that some of our own party had taken this
method of writing their names on the wall, — a practice which John
Bull seldom neglects in any part of the world which he visits ; or that
some intrepid Arab had allowed his curiosity to prevail over his
fear of evil spirits, and penetrated thus far into the subterranean
channel f : it never, in effect, for a moment occurred to us, that
the characters (whatever they were,), which might be traced on so
perishable a surface, were of more than very recent formation.
Our surprise may in consequence be readily imagined when we
found, on a closer examination, that the walls of the place were
covered with Greek inscriptions; some of which, from their dates, must
have remained on the wet clay for more than fifteen hundred years,
whatever might have been the periods at which others had been
written : the preservation of these may certainly be accounted for, by
* Scavato ad arte e lo sbocco di questa fonte, e questo incavo ben oltre si prolunga
attraverso la montagna, ove io per qualche tratto volli penetrare, a malgrado le minaccie
delle roie guide, che credono quella cavita oi'dinaria stanza di spiriti nialevoli.
t The Arabs of the present day whom we met with at Gyrene, would on no account
be persuaded to enter the passage in question, which they believe (as Dr. Della Gella
truly observes) to be the abode of evil spirits.
4 r.
554
MERGE TO GYRENE.
the dampness of the place, and its extreme seclusion, which would
conspire to prevent the clay from cracking and dropping off, and from
being rubbed off by intruders ; but we were not prepared to meet with
inscriptions engraved on so yielding a substance, and certainly not
to find that, having once been written, they should have remained
on it down to the present day, as perfect as when they were left
there by those whose visit they were intended to commemorate.
They consist, of course, chiefly in a collection of names ; many of
which are Eoman, and the earliest of the most conspicuous dates
which we remarked and copied, (for it would take whole days to
read and copy them all) were those of the reign of Dioclesian. We
coxdd collect no other fact from those which w e read, than that a
priest appears to have officiated at the fountain, after Cyrene became
a Koman colony, whose name and calling (in the form jot &c.)
are usually written after the name of the visiter. They are in
general very rudely scratched, with a point of any kind (a sword or
knife, perhaps, or the stone of a ring,) and often with the point of
the fingers. We observed a few Arabic inscriptions among the
rest, but were so much occupied in reading over the Greek ones,
in order to gain some intelligence respecting the fountain, which
might serve to throw light upon the period at which the channel
was excavated, or other questions of interest, that we neglected
to copy them. There is an appearance in one of the Greek
inscriptions of allusion to the name of Apollo, the deity to wdiom
we suppose this fountain to have been sacred ; but the letters are
not sufficiently clear to establish the fact decidedly, although we
MERGE TO GYRENE.
555
do not see what other sense could be given to the words in question,
with so much probability of being that which the writer intended ;
and it is plain, that as the sentence now stands it is incomplete
A\^e could not succeed in finding any Greek dates of antiquity,
although the Greek names are very numerous ; but a person
accustomed to the many negligent modes of writing the character,
with plenty of time and light at his disposal, might probably succeed
in finding Greek inscriptions of more interest than we were able to
discover in the mass of waiting here alluded to ; a great portion of
which, as might naturally be expected, consists of rude scrawls and
hasty scratches — mere apologies in fact for letters almost of any
kind. That the fountain continued to be an object of curiosity,
and probably of religious veneration, after the cession of the
country to the Eomans, may, how^ever, be inferred from what w^e
have stated; and a minimum may at least be established with
respect to the date of the excavated channel, if w'e cannot ascertain
the precise time of its formation, or wdiether it was cut at one
or at several periods.
We have already mentioned that several hours had elapsed, from
the time of our entering the channel to that of our re-appearance at
its mouth ; and we really believe that the Arabs of the place, w'ho had
* We imagine the words to have been, em ie^eos- rou fj.syiarov AtsoKKoivos, but the os is
wanting after AttoXXoiv, and the ix. in fAiyisrov ; in which latter word also the s and y look
more like an a and a t. The rest of the inscription is clear ; and were we only to give
it as a fragment, mi is^eos rov...i(srou AKoXkcov. . , there would, probably, be no doubt
raised with respect to the manner of reading it.
4 B 2
556
MERGE TO GYRENE.
collected themselves round the fountain to see us come out, were
extremely disappointed to find that no accident had befallen any
one of the party ; in spite of the demons so confidently believed
to haunt its dark and mysterious recesses. For our own parts,
we could not help laughing very heartily at the ridiculous appear-
ance which each of us exhibited on first coming into the light,
covered as we were from head to foot with the brown clay
accumulated in the channel of the fountain, which had adhered
too closely to be washed away by the stream, although its current,
as we have mentioned, was extremely rapid.
As the next day was that which had been fixed for our departure,
we employed the remainder of the afternoon in making preparations
for the journey, and set out early on the following morning for
Bengazi. Captain Beechey and Lieutenant Coffin had already
preceded us, with the intention of running over to Malta, in order
to procure a small vessel for the embarkation of the statues, which
we had decided upon removing to Apollonia, where the vessel would
have taken them on board. On their arrival, however, at Bengazi,
they found a packet of letters from England ; and among them,
was a despatch from the Foreign Office, which made it necessary
that we should alter our plan, and give up any further operations.
As the season was far advanced, during which any vessels are found
in the harbour of Bengazi, a passage was secured in the last which
remained, and camels were despatched to Cyrene to bring away our
baggage and tents.
The interval was employed in completing the plans of the build-
MERGE TO GYRENE.
557
ings and tombs at Cyrene ; and that of the excavated channel of
the fountain was the last upon which we employed ourselves. We
had determined, on first discovering this passage, to explore it as
far as it might be found practicable, and the first leisure moment
was accordingly devoted to it on the day which preceded our
departure.
558
MERGE TO GYRENE.
CHAPTER XIX.
Historical Sketch of Gyrene — Its Foundation by a Lacedemonian Colony — Dynasty of the
Battiades, or Family of Battus — Cession of the Country to Ptolemy Lagus — And afterwards
to the Romans by Apion, the last of the Ptolemies who possessed it — Cyrene becomes a
Roman Province, and is united in one Government with Crete — Illustrious Persons who were
natives of Cyrene — Tenets of the Sect of Philosophers termed Cyrenaic — Decay of the City,
and its final Desertion in Christian times after the Transfer of the Bishopric to Ptolemeta —
Return of the Expedition to Bengazi, and its subsequent Departure for Malta.
AVe learn from Herodotus, that Battus, a native of Thera, in com-
pliance with the injunctions of the Oracle at Delphi, first landed with
a party of his countrymen in Plataa ; an island lying close to the
northern coast of Africa, and supposed to be that which is at present
called Bomba. Here he built a city ; and after a lapse of two years
proceeded again to Delphi, in order to consult the Pythia (or
priestess) with respect to his future proceedings.
The new establishment appearing to be insufficient for the fulfil-
ment of the deity’s instructions, Battus removed his colony to Aziris,
a part of the continent opposite to Plateea, and described by the
historian as a most delightful spot. In this new abode they re-
mained for six years ; and on the seventh, (by the advice of the
Libyan tribes in their neighbourhood, who promised to conduct
them to a much better place,) removed to the high ground then called
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559
Irasa, on which they built the city of Cyrene, about the third year,
according to Eusebius, of the thirty-seventh Olympiad. We find
little more worth relating of Battus, except, perhaps, that he lost
the impediment in his speech, for which he had originally consulted
the oracle, in the following extraordinary manner. As he wandered
abroad one day unattended, a lion sprung very unexpectedly upon
him ; and the cry of surprise and dismay which he uttered so terrified
the monarch of the woods, that he fled with the utmost precipitation.
At the same moment Battus discovered that he had lost the infir-
mity under which he had laboured ; for the sudden exertion of
voice just alluded to had taken it effectually away. After a reign
of forty years, Battus was succeeded by his son Arcesilaus, of wdiom
little further is known, than that he reigned for sixteen years.
During these two reigns, no accession appears to have been made
to the numbers of the original colony ; under Battus the third, how-
ever, who was distinguished by the appellation of (the
prosperous,) another migration took place from Greece ; and the lands
already occupied not being sufficient for the accommodation of the
new colonists, an inroad was made upon the territory of the Libyan
inhabitants, and one of their chiefs, whom Herodotus calls Adicran,
was deprived of a considerable part of his dominions.
The libyans applied for support to the Egyptians ; and Apries,
who at that time reigned over Egypt, (and is supposed to be the
Pharaoh Hophra of Scripture,) despatched a large army to their
assistance. The Cyreneans, aware of the approach of their invaders,
drew up their forces at Irasa, near the fountain called by Herodotus
560
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Theste ; and the Egyptians were routed with a loss so considerable,
that few of them escaped to bear the tale of their defeat In the
reign of Arcesilaus the third, who succeeded the last-mentioned
Battus, dissensions appear to have taken place among the colonists,
and the brothers of the king abjured his authority, and left Gyrene
with their followers. After some consultation among themselves
with respect to their future proceedings, they are said by Herodotus
to have founded the city of Barca, and established themselves in
that part of the country.
Not content with this measure, the founders of Barca endeavoured
to gain over the Libyan tribes to their party, and to stir up dissen-
sions between them and the Cyreneans, in which they partially
succeeded ; Arcesilaus, in consequence, made war upon both, and the
* The whole of the table-land In the neighbourhood of Gyrene, as well as that upon
which the city was built, may probably have been called Irasa, and the fountain of
Theste may I’easonably be imagined to have been that which we have formerly mentioned
at Gobba, where remains of antiquity still exist. We are led to this conclusion, from
the nature of the ground in the neighbcui'hood of the fountain in question ; for it is
there that the table-land ceases altogether, and the Gyrenaic range descends so abruptly
as to be in most places inaccessible. We have mentioned the difficulty which we our-
selves experienced in leading our horses down one of the passes near Dcrna, considered,
of course, to be a practicable one ; and can readily imagine the disadvantage which an
army would labour under in liaving so formidable a barrier to surmount, as any of the
passes alluded to would present ; in front of an enemv whose lines were drawn up on the
summit of the range, and on the edge of the ascent by which they were advancing.
This position in fact is one, of all others, which would naturally be selected as a line of
defence against forces advancing from Derna and Egypt ; and the Greeks would hardly
have neglected to avail themselves of it, supposing them to be at all acquainted with the
country, which can hardly be doubted at the period in question, after so long a residence
on the mountain.
MERGE TO GYRENE.
561
Libyans, either fearing to meet him in the field, or wishing to draw
the Cyreneans from their heights to attack them with more advan-
tage in the plains, retreated to the eastward, and joined the native
tribes which occupied the country between Gyrene and Egypt.
Here they were imprudently followed by the king, and an engage-
ment took place, in which the Cyreneans were defeated, and seven
thousand of their heavy-armed troops were left dead upon the field
of battle. The consequences of this defeat were fatal to Arcesilaus ;
for soon after his return to Gyrene he was strangled by his brother
Learchus, when disabled by weakness resulting from indisposition ;
the murderer, however, did not long survive him, for he was himself
put to death by means of a stratagem, concerted, we are told, by
Eryxo, the wife of Arcesilaus, who revenged in this manner tlie
loss of her husband. To Arcesilaus succeeded another Battus, who
is said by Herodotus to have been lame ; and in his reign ambas-
sadors were sent to Mantinea (according to the advice of the Oracle),
to entreat the mediation of the Arcadians, in the disputes which had
already been the cause of so much bloodshed. Demonax was in
consequence selected by the IMantineans, a person highly respected
for his probity ; who, on arriving at Gyrene, divided the Greeks into
three separate classes, according to the countries from which they
originally came, and gave them a new form of government, which
continued in force during Battus’ reign. The son of this Battus,
however, Arcesilaus, refused to acknowledge the new constitution,
by which many privileges of the former kings of Gyrene had been
transferred to the body of the people. Insurrections of the populace
562
MERGE TO GYRENE.
took place in consequence, and Arcesilaus u^as obliged to take refuge
in Samos, while his mother, Pheretime, went over to Cyprus, in order
to implore the assistance of Euelthon, who reigned at that time in
the island. The suppliant queen uas received with great courtesy,
and Euelthon made her several valuable presents ; but Pheretime,
while expressing her thanks for these attentions, suggested that an
army, which might accompany her to Cyrene, and avenge the wrongs
which her family and herself had sustained from the people of the city,
would be a much more desirable gift. Euelthon, however, adhered
to the line of conduct by which he had hitherto been regulated, which
was that of a strict neutrality ; and sent the queen a distaff and spindle
of gold, assuring her that he was acting with much more consideration
towards a female, in making her a similar offering, than if he had pre-
sented her with an army. Arcesilaus, in this interval, had collected
an army in Samos ; and w^ent to Delphi to consult the Oracle on the
probable consequence of his return to Cyrene. The answer was, as
usual, mysterious ; and predicted his death if certain events should
take place which he was enjoined to avoid ; at the same time he was
advised to return to his dominions, and adopt conciliatory measures.
On recovering his possessions, Arcesilaus neglected the prudent
advice of the Pythia, and commenced a vigorous persecution of those
whose revolt had occasioned his flight from Cyrene. Some of them
contrived to escape his resentment ; but a party of the fugitives who
had taken refuge in a tower, were burnt there by order of the king,
who caused his people to set fire to the building. In this act, one
of the injunctions had been neglected, on observing which the life
MERGE TO GYRENE.
563
of Arcesilaus depended ; and he was afterwards assassinated in the
market-place at Barca, together with Alazir, the king of the place,
whose daughter he had taken for his wife. The queen Pheretime
had established her son’s authority in Cyrene ; but on hearing of his
death, she fled immediately to Egypt, and persuaded Aryandes, who
at that time commanded there as viceroy of Darius Hystaspis, to
march an army against the Barceans. Before proceeding to extre-
mities, Aryandes despatched a messenger to the people of Barca,
desiring to be informed, if they really had been guilty of the death
of Arcesilaus. On their acknowledging the act, he set his army in
motion, and gave the command of it to Amasis, while a fleet at the
same time was entrusted to Badres, and both proceeded to take
vengeance of the assassins. After a long and ineffectual siege, Barca
was entered by treachery : and Amasis, who had passed Ids word to
spare the lives of the Barceans, gave them over to the vengeance of
Pheretime ; by whom all who were concerned in the murder of her
son were put to death in the most inhuman manner. The city was
plundered by the Persian army, and the lives and property of those
persons only were respected, who had been averse to the murder of
Arcesilaus.
Their object accomplished, the Persians returned to Egypt *,
leaving Barca, by desire of Pheretime, in possession of those who had
* This army is said by Herodotus to have penetrated farther to the westward; and
the historian believes (what is extremely probable) that the Persians had views on other
parts of Libya, besides that possessed by tlie people of Barca ; and that the army of
Amasis was intended to reconnoitre the country, if not to reduce it to subjection.
4 C 2
564
MERGE TO GYRENE.
been spared for their adherence to the family of Battus. The
cruelties of Pheretime were visited upon her as those of Herod were
afterwards punished ; for we are told that she was eaten alive by
worms, and died in the greatest torments.
The account which has descended to us of Cyrene and Barca, (with
that of the various tribes of Northern Africa,) from the pen of the
father of history, concludes with the death of Pheretime ; which is
believed by Herodotus to have been a judgment of the gods for the
cruelties of which she had been guilty.
From this time the Cyreneans as well as the Libyans, with whom
they appear to have been intermixed, are little alluded to in history
till the conquest of the Persian empire. W e are informed by Aristotle
that, in his time, Cyrene was a republic ; and we may perhaps suppose
that, on the extinction of the family of Battus, that form of govern-
ment took place which had been recommended by Hemonax;
although the Cyreneans may possibly have been tributary to, or
under the protection of, Persia, xlt the period when the dispute
concerning the limits of the countries took place between the people
of Cyrene and Carthage, we may presume, from the account trans-
mitted of it by Sallust, that democracy was the established form of
government at Cyrene ; and Strabo has informed us, that the
Cyreneans continued to be governed by their own laws, till the
reduction of Egypt by the Macedonians. After the death of
Alexander, Cyrene became the prey of contending adventurers, and
was at length delivered into the hands of Ptolemy by Ophelias ;
although that general is supposed to have obtained for himself the
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565
sovereignty of at least a part of the country. Magas, the brother of
Ptolemy Lagus, reigned in Cyrene for fifty years ; and it continued to
be a part of the empire of the Ptolemies, some of whom resided there
at different periods, till it was made over by his father to Apion, an
illegitimate son of Ptolemy Physcon, who left it in his will to the
Romans. The senate accepted the bequest, but allowed the several
cities to be governed by their own laws ; and the country was in
consequence a prey to civil discord, and exposed to the tyranny and
violence of many rival pretenders to supremacy. Lucullus in some
measure restored tranquillity, when he visited it during the first
Mithridatic war; but the evil was never finally removed till the
whole of the Cyrenaica was reduced to the form of a Roman province.
This event happened about twenty years after the death of Apion,
and seventy-six before the birth of Christ : we find the country after-
wards, in the time of Strabo, united with Crete in one government.
The most flourishing period of Cyrene was probably that of the
Ptolemaic dynasty, and of the two or three centuries which preceded
it ; an epoch when Grecian art was in the highest perfection, and
literature in great estimation.
At the time when the city, on account of an insurrection, was
destroyed by the Roman people (who afterwards, however, rebuilt
it,) it is probable that the temples were spared ; for the architectural
remains of those which we have described are decidedly Greek of an
early style ; and the same may be observed with respect to many of
the tombs, although in these we may find examples of architecture
in the style of many different periods.
566
MERGE TO GYRENE.
Philosophy and literature were diligently cultivated at Cyrene ;
which gave birth to Aristippus, the founder of the sect distinguished
by the name of Cyrenaic, and to many other celebrated men ; among
whom we may reckon Callimachus and Eratosthenes, Aristippus the
younger, Anniceris, Carneades, &c.
The philosophy of Aristippus appears to have inculcated, that the
soul has two particular motions, or sensations, — those of pain and
pleasure ; that all pleasures are alike ; and that virtue is only to be
esteemed inasmuch as it conduces to our gratification. Carneades
denied that any thing could be perceived or understood in the world,
and was the first philosopher who introduced an universal suspension
of assent : he pretended to discover an uncertainty in the most self-
evident notions ; and vigorously opposed the doctrine of the stoics
in his attempt to confute Chrysippus. When Carneades was sent as
ambassador to Pome, with Diogenes the stoic, and Critolaus the
peripatetic, he pronounced a very learned dissertation upon justice,
which strongly convinced all his auditors of its value and importance
in society : in another speech, however, the philosopher confuted all
the arguments which he had established in his first discourse ; and
gave no existence at all to the virtue which he had just before
strongly recommended. The Roman youth were so captivated with
the eloquence and the reasoning powers of Carneades, that they are
said, on this occasion, to have forgotten their usual amusements and
thought of nothing else but philosophy. The effect produced upon
the public mind was at all events so strong, that Cato the censor gave
immediate audience to the Athenian ambassadors in the Senate ; and
MERGE TO GYRENE.
567
dismissed them in haste, expressing his apprehension that they
would corrupt the opinions of the Roman people *.
Cyrene appears to have not long survived the introduction of
Christianity into Northern Africa; for we find it described as— a
mass of ruin — by Synesius, who lived in the time of Theodosius the
younger. It is probable, that when the bishopric was transferred to
Ptolemais, this once beautiful city no longer existed ; and it is
certain that the remains of Christian churches at Mersa Suza and
Ptolemeta, (the Apollonia and Ptolemais of antiquity,) are superior
in every respect to those which are found at Cyrene, and apparently
of much more recent construction.
In returning from Cyrene to Bengazi, we proceeded by a different
route from that which w'e had taken in approaching it ; and passed
through a country rich in vegetation, and producing abundance of
grain ; in which we observed frequent traces of building, particularly
on the elevated spots of ground.
At Jenain, about two hours distance from Cyrene, we found two
* Many pointed observations are recorded of Aristippus the elder, who appears to
have possessed a very lively wit. He asked a certain person, who reproached him for
having given a sumptuous entertainment — whether he would not have been equally
hospitable if it would only have cost him three oboli ? When the other replied in the
affirmative, Aristippus observed, “ It is you then, I find, who are fond of money, and not
I of pleasure.” Dionysius once sent him three beautiful women, from which the philo-
sopher was desired to select whichever pleased him most ; but Aristippus retained them all
three; observing that “ Paris had greatly suffered by preferring one goddess to another.”
When someone inquired what Aristippus would expect for the education of his son,
he answered five hundred drachmas. “ I can buy a slave,” replied the other, “ foi that
money.” “ Do so,” said Aristippus, “ and then you will have two.”
568
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wells of excellent water, apparently of ancient construction ; and
observed remains of building on a rising ground adjoining, and some
tombs excavated in the rock. An hour more, travelling along the
brow of the ridge, brought us to Marabut Sidi Arafi, the division
between the territories of Derna and Bengazi. Here also we found
several wells, and partial remains of building, which continued all
the way along the road to Birasa, where their number considerably
increased. This has evidently been an ancient site ; and we have
no doubt that the whole of the country, through which we this day
travelled, was once very thickly inhabited. Traces of ancient pave-
ment are continually met with on the road, which is occasionally
flanked by ancient tombs, similar in construction to some of those at
Cyrene, and every pass of importance has been fortified with towers
of considerable strength *.
* The name of Birasa will naturally suggest a resemblance between it and Irasa,
the country which is mentioned by Herodotus as that to which the Greeks were conducted
by the natives of Libya. We do not mean to infer, that the place first mentioned has
any other connexion with the territory upon which Cyrene was erected, than that which
we are going to suggest ; but if the affinity of the Arabic and Hebrew, or Chaldee, to
the old Phoenician, or Samaritan language, (an early dialect of the Hebrew,) be really
so great as is generally allowed, the two words in question may bear the same meaning
without any forced application. The word ras in Arabic, and in Hebrew, signifies a
head ; and the term is constantly applied by the Arabs to high and mountainous ground,
whether inland or on the coast : land on the summit of a mountain may therefore be said
to be — hi-ras — upon the head, or high ground ; and bi-rcis-a would signify, in Arabic,
as it does in the case of the teri’itory in question — a tract of land on the upper part of a
range of hills — and might be applied w'ithout any impropriety to a similar tract of land
of whatever extent. It is not, perhaps, improbable that ras had the same meaning among
the Libyan tribes, (whom we may suppose to have spoken some dialect of the old
Phoenician,) as it bears in Arabic and Hebrew ; and that the particle bi or be, was at
MERGE TO GYRENE.
569
At Wady Jerahib the table land ceases, and a steep and somewhat
perilous descent begins into the valley (or wady) here mentioned,
down which we wdth difficulty conducted our horses. A strong fort
on the right commands, or rather, formerly commanded the entrance
on this side to the wady, and overlooks the country to a considerable
extent. The sides of this ravine are quite perpendicular ; and in
some places more than five hundred feet high ; they are filled with
excavated caves, like those which we have described at Apollonia, and
are entered by ropes in a similar manner, which are always very
carefully drawn up after them by the inhabitants.
The road which leads along Wady Jerahib winds for two hours
through woods of pine-trees, some of which were tw^o feet in diameter
(the largest size we had hitherto seen in the country), and appear to
be well adapted for spars. In the centre of the valley their naked trunks
were lying (amongst heaps of stones, and other matter collected
about them) in considerable numbers when we passed along it ; and
the bark of most of those trees which are standing has been worn
the same time used by the Libyans, in the sense which belongs to it in those languages.
I rasa might then be supposed to mean a tract of table land ; for the loss of the letter b is
of little importance, considering that the word comes through a Greek medium ; and as
the Greeks in the case alluded to were conducted from the low ground to the high, such
an application is far from improbable. It is not, however, necessary for this application
to Insist upon the omission of the b ; for the i in Irasa might well be a contraction of the
article el or il, signifj'Ing the, and I-rasa be pronounced for el-rasa, which is consistent
with the usual pronunciation of Ai’abic and other Oriental languages. The whole would
then be taken for a part ; and the country which the Greeks were recommended to
inhabit, would be termed — the summit of the mountain — and in the Libyan dialect (let
us suppose) Ir’rasa, or Er’-rasa.
570
MERGE TO GYRENE.
away for several feet upwards. We may infer from these appear-
ances, that in the rainy season the body of water which rushes along
Wady Jerahib must be very great ; and to avoid the inconvenience
to which travellers would in consequence have been exposed, we find
the ancient road raised several feet above the actual level of the
wady in other parts, and occasionally paved, and cut through the
rock. At its western extremity. Wady Jerahib opens out into a very
spacious and beautiful, we may say without exaggeration, a magni-
ficent valley : at the entrance of which are the remains of a very
large fort, now called by the Arabs Beliggidem ; the walls of this are
still upwards of forty feet in height. Other valleys are seen from the
fort, stretching out far into the blue horizon ; and we looked on all
sides over the tops of thick forests of pine, which covered the sides and
the summit of the wadies, as far as the eye could reach. Beliggidem
may be called a very good day’s journey from Gyrene, which would
more frequently, indeed, be extended to a day and a half. The road
from hence winds through a succession of wadies, and we found it to
be very indifferent ; till, after ascending a difficult hill, it brought us
once more to Margad, — a spot at which we had stopped for the night
on our journey froin Merge to Gyrene. From this place, our former
conductor, Boo-Bukra, had turned off abruptly to the southward, in
order to avoid passing through BelSnege (a part of the road which
we had taken in returning), where he understood that the relations
of two men whom he had killed were lying in wait for him. The
party in advance had learnt this from an Arab at Belenege ; and it
enabled us to account for the circuitous and difficult route along
MERGE TO GYRENE.
571
which Boo-Bukra had conducted us on our former journey. We had
observed, that in addition to his musket and pistols, the usual arms
of an Arab, he always carried a short carbine slung over his shoulder,
which he never took off on any occasion ; but were not at all aware of
the difficulty of his situation, till we heard of the fact just mentioned.
The change of route made a difference of two days to us, as nearly as
we can recollect ; but we do not regret the circumstance, since it
enabled us to see a part of the country which we should not otherwise
have had an opportunity of visiting. From Margad we proceeded
to Bograta by the road which we had formerly taken, and from thence
to Merge, where we found Bey Halil, for he had not been able to
collect all his tribute. From Merge we descended to Ptolemeta, and
joined Captain Beechey, who had arrived there the day before from
Teuchira, having left Mr. Coffin at Bengazi, to make the necessary
arrangements for our embarkation. We had arranged this meeting
in order to complete the plans of both these places, which had been
left somewhat unfinished in our eagerness to visit Cyrene. Three
days were spent at Ptolemeta, and we then continued our journey
to Teuchira, where we had no occasion to remain more than a single
day, after which we proceeded to Bengazi *.
On the 25th of July we had completed all our arrangements, and
embarked the same afternoon for Malta.
* We have not been able to publish on this occasion (as we believe we have already
stated) more than a limited number of plates ; so that several to which we have referred
have been unavoidably omitted. Some of the drawings, however, will appear in another
publication, with others made in Egypt and Nubia ; and in that we shall hope to find
means of introducing the greater part of what has been omitted.
572
MERGE TO GYRENE.
We cannot close our account of the proceedings of the Expedition
without expressing in a public manner our warmest thanks to the
officers who accompanied us on our journey : the privations and
hardships to which they were exposed might have reasonably drawn
forth an occasional murmur ; but these have always been patiently
and cheerfully borne ; and we have cause to be grateful, on many
occasions, for services which have materially contributed to forward
the objects, and facilitate the advance of the Expedition. To
Eieutenant Coffin, in particular, who attached himself as a volunteer
to our party, we feel ourselves under considerable obligations ; and
we should not do justice to the assiduity and regularity with which
he kept the camel-track, mentioned above, if w'e did not state that
it has enabled us to lay down the route with much greater precision
than we could otherwise have attained to*.
* The accuracy to which this method of computing distance may be brought, with
proper attention, will be seen on referring to the Table, p. xliv. in the Appendi.K.
END OF THE NARRATIVE.
APPENDIX.
a
APPENDIX
OBSERVATIONS ON THE PORTS AND HARBOURS FROxM TRIPOLY
TO DERNA, IN THEIR ACTUAL CONDITION.
In addition to what we have already observed with respect to the
shores of the Syrtis and Cyrenaica, we have thought it necessary
to subjoin the following short description of them, and of the sup-
plies that ships may expect to meet with at the different places
situated along the coast from Tripoli to Derna. The several places
therein alluded to, will be found in the accompanying chart, which
has been constructed from a succession of angles, carried on along
the coast, assisted by astronomical observations, and chronometrical
measurements, between three distant points, whose positions were
well determined by Captain W. H. Smyth, R.N.
The instruments with which we were furnished, in consequence
of the difficulty of carriage, were small, and their number limited ;
they consisted of a five-inch theodolite, one four-inch and two eight-
inch sextants, a telescope for observing the eclipses of the satellites
of Jupiter, a Rater’s azimuth compass, two pocket chronometers.
Nos. 2164 and 2184 of Mr. Arnold’s make*, and a measuring chain
and tapes, &c.
Before entering into any particular description, we shall premise
by stating that, between Tripoli and Bomba, there is not a harbour
* In justice to Mr. Arnold, we must say that these two watches gave results
beyond our mostsaiiguine expectations.
a 2
IV
APPENDIX.
Tripoly-
Tagiura,
capable of containing a man-of-war brig ; though several anchorages
will be found along the coast, well sheltered with particular winds.
Tripoly itself is a secure harbour, and has from four to six
fathoms water in it : the protection is afforded by a chain of rocks
which project from the north-east angle of the town, and by a shoal
lying off Caluisa Point. A heavy swell sometimes rolls in from
the northward, between the reefs, to which quarter ships should
moor with open hawse. On entering the harbour care must be
taken to avoid a rocky patch, with only three to three and a half
fathoms water upon it, which lies nearly mid-channel. But we shall
abstain from entering into further detail, in consequence of this
place having been surveyed by Captain W. H. Smyth, from whose
plan indeed, partly, we are now enabled to offer these few remarks.
When off the port a pilot may always be procured on making the
necessary signal.
At Tripoly vessels will find fresh provision, fruit, vegetables, and
water.
All vessels from the eastern ports of the Mediterranean must land
their cargoes at the Lazzaretto, and perform a stated quarantine.
About seven miles eastward of Tripoly is Tagiura point, which
may be known by the clusters of date-trees around the village of
Tagiura, terminating there. From Tagiura to Cape Sciarra there
is a sandy desert, traversed by two small streams, Wadey Rammel
and Wadey M’Seidi, which give a supply of water throughout the
year. Eastward of Cape Sciarra the coast gets higher, and is
formed in rocky points and capes, with sandy bays between them.
The mountains, which are a continuation of the Tarhoona range,
here approach the sea within seven or eight miles ; and a little beyond
Sidi Abdellati, throw off a branch at right angles to them, which
extends to the sea, and then continuing eastward, nearly parallel to
the coast, terminates a few miles south-west of Mesurata*.
There are several towers upon the summits of this range, of which
* We had no opportunity of ascertaining the height of this range.
APPENDIX.
V
the most conspicuous is Mergip. These mountains form the
western limit to the great plain of Lebda, (the ancient Leptis Magna.)
The ruins of the ancient city stand close upon the beach : they are
more than half buried in sand, and are situated about three miles
west of the groves of date-trees, which are easily distinguished from
the sea. The port, or cothon of Lebda, is now filled up, but there
is a small place called Mersa Ligatah, a mile and a half to the west-
ward of the ruins, where small vessels may find shelter, except with
the wind from the eastward. The sea here affords good fish ; and
the shore is stocked with sheep, fruit, vegetables, and corn, which
with the help of a chaous, may be obtained at a cheaper rate than at
Tripoly.
Seven miles, south-east from the ruins of Lebda, is Tabia Point,
a rocky headland, about forty feet high, with some rocks at the foot
of it. Near it, there will be found indifferent protection for boats
behind some rocks, that form Mersa Ugrah ; but these rocks are
sometimes covered.
Immediately round Tabia point, the coast forms a bay as far as
Zeliten Point : this is a rocky projection with several sunken rocks
lying off it. Near the point there is a small cove, which has
obtained the name of Mersa Zeliten, but it is too small for even
boats to remain in blowing weather. It lies a mile and a half to the
westward of a marabut’s tomb, which will be seen upon the beach
supported upon small marble columns.
At Zeliten, sheep, fowls, butter, oil, fruit, vegetables, corn, and
sweet water, may be procured in abundance, and very reasonably.
The town is a short walk from the Mersa, over a ridge of sand-hills,
which extend along the coast towards Mesurata.
Eastward of Zeliten, the coast is rocky, and at times rises into
cliffs. About mid- way between Cape Mesurata and Zeliten Point,
there is a small Arab village, that may be distinguished by a cluster
of date-trees, at the foot of some high sand-hills. Several reefs of
rocks lie off here, and form Mersa Zoraig, and Mersa Gusser*.
Leb lii.
Tabia Point.
Mersa, and
Point Zeliten.
* Neither of these afford shelter for shipping.
VI
APPENDIX.
Caije Mesurata.
Entrance of tlie
Gulf of Syrtis.
Bushaifa Bay.
Mesurata.
Aarar.
The inhabitants of Zoraig are about one hundred in number, and
nothing but water could be procured in any abundance.
Toward the eastern termination of the sand-hills, the rocky coast
gets higher, and when four miles from the entrance of the Gulf of
Syrtis, forms three cliffs, which, at a distance. Monsieur Lauthier
informs us, appear like as many islands. The eastern one of these
three is Cape Mesurata (the Cephalus Promontorium of Strabo).
The entrance to the gulf is formed by a low rocky point ; at the
back of it there are groves of date-trees among low sand-hills; and a
mile to the southward is the white mausoleum of Marabut Bushaifa,
which gives name to the bay it overlooks *.
There is good landing under the low point before mentioned, in
a small sandy bay abreast of a low sand-hill. The bay appears to
be full of fish, and the seine might here no doubt be hauled to
advantage.
The Town of Mesurata is about two miles to the southward of the
cape of the same name ; it is governed by an Aga, to whom it would
be found advantageous to make a small present. Fresh provision,
fruit, vegetables, and sweet water, may be procured here in abundance.
About ten miles south of Bushaifa there is a solitary date-tree,
overlooking a low sandy tract of coast, bearing the name of Aarar.
Off here. Monsieur Lauthier informs us, at two leagues distant from
the shore, there is a rocky bank, a league in length from east to
west, with from fourteen to seventeen feet water upon it. The date-
tree, the position of which is well determined, will serve as a mark
for this bank.
Leaving Aarar and coasting southward, the shore is very low and
sandy, with apparently no danger. A low ridge of hills extends
along the coast from one to three miles distance from it. Some few
of these hills are covered with vegetation, and now and then a
straggling flock of goats or sheep may be met with ; but otherwise
no supplies of any kind are to be procured until you arrive at
* Monsieur Lauthier informs us that there is good anchorage in this bay in six
fathoms water, muddy bottom, at a quarter of a league distance from the shore.
APPENDIX. vii \
ZafFeran — firewood excepted, which may be obtained from the
wrecks upon the beach in large quantities.
Jcbbah is the first conspicuous object that presents itself after Kusser el Jebi>ah.
Aarar. It is an old Arab building, upon an eminence about four
miles from the coast. Its position is well determined, and its
distance from the beach ascertained by a base purposely measured.
The whole of this coast is very low, and in blowing weather
should be avoided, as there appears to be a great set down upon it
from the north-east, judging from the number of wrecks, masts and
yards, &c., that are thrown upon the beach, on this side of the gulf
only — none being seen on the eastern shore.
Until we arrived at Jaireed, in latitude 31° 23' 27" N., we did not Shoals,
perceive any dangers lying off the coast; but at that place we
observed the sea breaking heavily over two shoals, distant from the
shore about a mile and a quarter *.
From Jaireed the coast trends more easterly, but still continues
low and sandy, with small hillocks at a short distance from the coast.
When near the latitude of 31° 16' N., ships must avoid some
dangerous shoals that branch off from the shore at JiralF, and extend Dangerous Shoal,
westward seven or eight miles — their most distant part from the
shore being about two miles: the sea broke heavily over them
when we passed, but within them it was more quiet; and if a pas-
sage should be found between the breakers, a tolerably secure
anchorage will in all probability be discovered.
Eastward of JirafF the coast alters its character: the shore is
rocky, the land gets more hilly, and is covered with vegetation.
In one part, in latitude 31° 12' 48" N., some high sand-hills, sur-
mounted with small tufts of trees, will be seen overlooking the
beach ; at the foot of them there is a small port called Mersa Zajfercm, Mersa ZaffVran.
in which boats may find shelter with all winds ; but it will be diffi-
cult to find, in consequence of there being no object to distinguish it
from the other ports of the coast, except indeed the wall of a build-
ing which stands upon the beach be seen protruding through the
* This distance is by estimation.
Hammah.
Ras How-y-jer.
Ras Bengervvad.
viii APPENDIX.
sand that has nearly covered it. At ZafFeran supplies of meat,
some few vegetables, and good water, will be found. The Arab
teUts are at the back of the sand-hills. These hills extend a few
miles to the eastward of ZafFeran ; the coast then rises into clifFs of
about fifty feet in height, and is covered with vegetation and brush-
wood. These cliffs terminate at a wadey eleven leagues eastw'ard
of ZafFeran, and the coast then continues low and sandy, with sand-
hills, at a short distance from it. There are here several small bays,
and one in particular at Hammah, in which boats may find shelter with
almost all winds, and may procure good water, from some wells
situated close to the beach. The country about it abounds in game ;
but we would not recommend landing here, or, in fact, on any part of
the coast, without being provided with a chaous. Five miles east-
ward of Hammah the coast is hilly, but soon declines again to the
low sandy beach which continues to Ras How-y-jer, having a range
of liills about two or three miles from the coast.
Ras How-y-jer is a bluff rock, that has the appearance of a ruined
castle; it stands at the entrance of a spacious bay formed between
it and a bold rocky promontory, called Bengerwad. South 76° east
(true) from How-y-jer we noticed the water discoloured, but the sea
did not break. In the above-mentioned bay ships may find shelter
from east to west north-west, and boats may land in a sandy bay a
little south of How-y-jer with almost all winds.
Bengerwad is about sixty feet in height, and has been strongly
fortified, but the ruins are not visible from the sea. There is a
small sandy bay, close round the cape, convenient for Imiding ; but
care must be taken to avoid the mouth of a ravine, that comes down
from the mountains, and deposits a soft quicksand, upon which it is
dangerous to land. The range of hills that extend from Boosaida
are distant from Bengerwad only a few hundred yards, and after-
wards recede to a mile or more from the sea. From Bengerwad the
coast gets low, and small sandy bays are formed between very low
rocky flats, some of which project a mile into the 'sea, and are not
more than a foot above water. Sixteen leagues from Bengerwad
APPENDIX.
IX
there are some high sand-hills, called Abanbiisa ; and a few miles
south-east of them a remarkable table- hill named Jebel-Alla.
Coasting along this part of the gulf, care must be taken to avoid a
low rocky islet, with breakers east and west of it. It lies one mile
and a half off shore, and is called Bushaifa. Upon the beach oppo-
site the Islet, there are two wells of good water: they point out
Secherine, which is the bottom of the Gulf of Syrtis, in latitude 30°
16' 00" north.
From Secherine to Gartdbbah, there is a sandy beach ; but the
general appearance of the coast will be hilly, with high mounds of
sand. Near to Gartiibbah is Mersa Braiga ; the only place that we
have seen in the Gulf of Syrtis, that is at all entitled to the name of
a port, and here the protection is made by breakers.
Braiga may be known at a distance, by some very high sand-hills
situated at the back of it, and on a nearer approach, by a heap of
ruins upon a rocky point, at the western extremity of the Mersa.
On the sandy beach within this point, there is safe landing with all
winds. Fresh provisions may be procured from the Arab encamp-
ments at the back of the sand-hills, and in all probability, a plentiful
supply of fish will be found in the bay *. The water here is brackish,
and tastes of sulphur ; it is contained in wells high up among the
sand-hills.
We should not recommend Mersa Braiga being approached in
bad weather, on account of the number of reefs lying off it, and the
difficulty there would be of working off, in consequence of the lee-set
which the northerly winds always occasion in the Gulf.
From Braiga, the coast trends north-east by east, is rocky, and
slightly indented; the shore, generally speaking, is high and hilly.
Ras Tabilbey is a bold promontory, with a sandy bay on either side
of it. The summit of the Ras has been strongly fortified ; and the
walls are carried up to a castle on the hill at the back of it, but these
are now all in ruins, and cannot be discerned from the sea. The
promontory is fexcavated into compartments, which from time, and the
* A large rock cod was taken alive among the rocks, by one of our party.
b
Abanbasa.
Jebel-Alla.
Bushaifa Islet.
Gartiibbah,
Mersa Braiga.
Ras Tabilbey.
X
APPENDIX.
Rocks.
Allum Limkrish.
Ain Agan.
Ishaifa Rock.
Breakers.
From N. 78° W.
(true).
Island of Gara,
Rocks and Shoals
in its vicinity.
constant washing of the sea, are in a very dilapidated state, and
dangerous to remain in during windy weather.
There are several Arab encampments a short distance from the
Ras ; from which small supplies of fresh provision may be procured.
North-eastward of Ras Tabilbey, there is a cliff of white sand-stone,
somewhat conspicuous, with some sunken rocks lying off it. The
rocks bear north 9" west (true), from the northern one of two conical
hills, that will be seen situated between the before-mentioned Cape
and Ras Tabilbey ; they are two or three miles off shore. Eastward
of the white cliff there is a deep ravine, and then a remarkable
peaked hill, called Allum Limarish. Between these two is situated
Ain Agan, an Arab encampment, from which small supplies of meat,
corn, and brackish water may be procured.
North 38° west (true) from Allum Limarish, there is a remarkably
white rock, about forty feet in height and steep on all sides, with
reefs of breakers extending east and west from it. It lies about half
a mile off shore, and is known by the name of Ishaifa. From the
top of Allum Limarish, we observed the sea breaking heavily over
some reefs three or four miles off shore, and appeared to extend
toward the island of Gara.
Gara is a small island, bearing north 13° east (true), from Allum
Limarish, and distant from the shore four miles and a half. It is
tolerably high, and appeared steep on all sides. South-west (true)
from Gara at two miles and a half distance, a rock makes its appear-
ance among a reef of breakers ; and south 16° east (true), three
miles, another. There is also a bank east by south (true), three
miles from it, over which the sea constantly broke.
The coast about here is low and sandy, and, in consequence of
the above-mentioned reefs, somewhat dangerous to be approached ;
but when Gara and its reefs shall be better known, I have no doubt
ships will find shelter from all winds within them.
Several hills, covered with brushwood, will be, seen a short
distance from the coast, and near the beach there will be found wells
of water somewhat brackish, and strongly impregnated with sulphur.
APPENDIX.
XI
North 52° east (true) from Gara, at one and a quarter to one and a
half off shore, lie a group of rocky islets, connected by breakers ;
behind which, I have no doubt, small vessels will find shelter with all
winds. They are in the neighbourhood of Rhote el Assoud, (or
black valley,) so called, it is said, from the dark appearance of the
hills.
North-eastward of these islets, there is a Marabot upon a pointed
hill at Shawhan, and inland two ruined towers, upon the summits of
hills.
From Shawhan, the coast trends to the westward of north up to
Carcora, and forms a large open bight. The shore is low and sandy,
with hills of brushwood or sand, a short distance from the sea.
Carcora may be known by some high sand-hills, which overlook
the beach. The coast thereabout is much indented, and there are
two small places, somewhat sheltered by projecting points, that
would afford protection for boats with northerly or easterly winds.
The most desirable of these is the one at the northern extremity
of the sand-hills, a small tower upon a ridge inland, bearing south 77°
45' east (true). Among the sand-hills will be found several wells
some of which will furnish sweet water, but the greater part of them
are stinking or brackish. From Ain Agan to Carcora the country is
very thinly inhabited, and no supplies, except what may be procured
from straggling flocks, are to be expected. But northward of Carcora
Arab encampments are very numerous. The hills abound in hares,
partridges, and pigeons, &c.
From Carcora to Bengazi, the shore is low and sandy, rising as
it recedes from the coast, and is covered with vegetation. Several
ruins of forts appear at a little distance from the sea: the most
remarkable of these are at Ghimenes, and Imshali, and all of them
are laid down trigonometrically in the chart.
Care must be taken, as you approach Bengazi, to avoid some
breakers, which extend southward from Juliana point, and lie about
three-quarters of a mile off shore.
Bengazi is situated at the eastern entrance of the Gulf of Syrtis,
Islets.
Carcora.
Carcora to
Bengazi.
Breakers.
Bengazi.
APPENDIX.
xii
and may be known by the clusters of date-trees in its vicinity.
They are the only ones that occur upon the coast westward of Derna ;
but on making the land, the hills, about fourteen miles west-south-
west from Bengazi, will be first seen. On a near approach, a white
Marabot upon an eminence near the sea, and a square castle at the
entrance of the harbour, will serve more immediately to point out the
town. During the summer months north-easterly winds are very
prevalent in the day time, but generally die away towards night.
They are said to extend about forty miles off the coast ; and ships
bound to Bengazi should in consequence keep to the eastward, as
well to take advantage of them, as to counteract the effects of the
strong current which they occasion, sweeping along shore into the
gulf.
The port of Bengazi is formed by rocks, that project from the
castle, and Juliana point; and is rendered very secure by a reef
that extends across at a short distance from the mouth of it, leaving
a narrow channel on either side : both these passages are very
difficult, and upon an average the depth of water in the harbour will
be found greater by a foot and a half, or two feet, in winter, than in
summer. But we must not always depend upon this, or upon a rise
with the winds that may be blowing at Bengazi at the moment ; as
they may be confined to a short distance only from the coast;
whereas it is the wind generally prevalent over the Mediterranean
at the season that occasions the increase.
The port of Bengazi is fast filling up with sand, and alluvium,
brought down by the heavy rains that annually deluge the town, and
boats only can now enter where the Bashaw’s ships were used to
remain forty years ago.
The castle is strengthened with bastions at the north, south, and
eastern angles ; but is deficient at the western one, which is that
which would prove most destructive to ships entering the harbour :
there are nine guns, eighteen pounders, mounted ; they are the only
cannon Bengazi can boast of, and the walls which support them
would not long withstand the broadside of a man-of-war brig.
APPENDIX. xiii
At Bengazi, ships will find a plentiful supply of fresh beef,
mutton and poultry, vegetables, fruit, good water, and sometimes
wood ; but the latter is very small.
From Bengazi to Bomba, a chain of mountains, from eight hun-
dred to eleven hundred feet in height, extend along the coast in a
diagonal direction with the shore, being distant from Bengazi
thirteen and a half miles, from Tochra five, Ptolemeta one and a half,
and coming close down to the sea in the neighbourhood of Ras Sem.
From a rocky point, four and a half miles north-east of Bengazi, the
coast runs low and sandy to, or a little way beyond, having at the
back a woody country extending to the mountains.
The ruins of Tochra stand upon a small rising ground, which
terminates toward the sea in a cliff ; the landing here is bad, except
in very smooth water, and there is nothing but water to be procured.
Between Tochra and Ptolemeta, the woody country approaches the
beach.
Ptolemeta may be distinguished by a large square tomb near the
beach, and by the ruins upon the hills to the eastward of it. A mile
from the tomb (to the eastward) will be found a small bay, offering
convenient landing for boats, except with the wind on shore. It is
immediately round a rocky promontory, the first that occurs after
the tomb. There are no supplies to be had at Ptolemeta, and no water
except, occasionally, in some ancient cisterns.
Mersa Susa Hammam, or Apollonia, is situated in the bight of a
large bay, formed by Ras El Hilal, and a cape, designated in the
charts as Cape Ras Sem. The ruins of the ancient town stand upon
a rising ground close to the beach, and may be easily distinguished
from the sea.
Though the Arabs have dignified the small indentation of coast
that here occurs, with the title of Mersa, and we have the authority
of the ancients for its being used as a port formerly, yet it cannot with
any propriety be recommended as such for vessels of the present
day; nevertheless, boats, or perhaps small craft, may find some
shelter behind the islets 'that lie off the town.
Shipping off this coast will see two distinct ranges of mountains,
Supplies.
Bengazi toward
Bomba.
Tochra, or
Teuchira.
Ptolemeta, or
Dolmaita.
Mersa Susa, or
Apollonia.
Ranges of moun-
tains.
XIV
APPENDIX.
one above the other. The upper one we ascertained to be one
thousand nine hundred and ninety-two feet above the sea and the
lower one thousand and fifty-five t-
The upper range, upon which is situated the ancient Cyrene,
declines gradually to the eastward, and unites with the lower one
near Cape Bujebara.
W'adys, or ravines. These mountains are frequently broken by deep chasms that
extend far inland. In them grow vast numbers of pine-trees fit for
small spars ; but we saw none sufficiently large for topmasts, except
in Wady Jeraib, far inland. The largest and most remarkable of
these chasms, or fiumaras, is at Cape Ras Sem ; an abundance of
firewood will be found a little way up it, and water may be procured
from a stream in the bed of it, which receives its supply from the
fountain at Cyrene.
Between Ras Sem and Ras El Hilal, there are several rocks
above water close in shore.
Ras El Hilal. Ras El Hilal, or new moon, so called from a round hill upon the
range above it, is a rocky projection which extends a mile and a half
from the foot of the mountains. On the eastern side of the pro-
montory there is a bay about three-quarters of a mile deep, in which
vessels may ride with the wind any way from the southward or
westward.
Bujebara. From El Hilal to Bujebara, the next promontory eastward, the
shore is. rocky ; and there is bad landing, except in a small sandy
nook, two miles west of the latter place. About mid-way between
these capes at Elthroon, a fine stream of water falls into the sea
from a deep fiumara.
From Cape Bujebara to Derna, the same rocky coast continues ;
but the ravines are fewer, and the mountains somewhat farther
removed from the coast.
* This was ascertained from several observations of the depression of the visible
horizon, corrections for spheroidal figure of the earth, and northern deviation being
made, and allowed for terrestrial refraction.
t The height of this range is ascertained trigonometrically.
APPENDIX.
XV
Eight miles westward from Derna, at two miles distance from the
shore, there are three small rocky islets, which must be avoided.
The whole of this coast is very thinly inhabited.
Derna is situated at the mouth of a large fiumara, and is sur-
rounded by clusters of date-trees, which are sufficient of themselves
to distinguish the place ; but it may also be known by a ruined
castle upon a ridge above the town, on the western side of the fiumara,
and a marabut, which stands upon a point, a mile from the town.
There is a good roadstead about a mile and a half off shore, and
some shelter for small craft close in shore with the wind from north-
north-west to south-east ; but they cannot remain with a north-east or
easterly wind, nor should they hang on too long in the event of the
wind coming in, or they will find it difficult to weather either of the
capes.
Supplies of fresh beef, vegetables, fruit, and water may be had in
abundance. Cattle are from seven to nine dollars a head, and fine
sheep about a dollar a-piece.
The town is the residence of Sidi Mahommed, Bey of the district,
and eldest son of the Bashaw of Tripoly ; to whom it might be found
advantageous to make some little present, and to notice by firing a
salnte.
Derna is not at all defended ; there is an old fort upon the sandy
point, but the guns are not in order, and those which once occupied
the turrets of the castle upon the hill are thrown down and rendered
useless by corrosion — the only annoyance boats attempting to land
could find, would be from the few muskets which the inhabitants
might furnish.
The best landing place is to the eastward of the date-trees in a
sandy bay round a low point about half a mile eastward of the
marabut. Some rocks lie off this point which boats should avoid.
At Derna, as at Bengazi, the most prevalent wind during the
summer is along shore ; but here it comes from the west north-west.
The north wind appears to diverge at Ras Sem, and takes the direc-
tion of Bengazi on one side, and Alexandria on the other ; for which
Rocky Islets.
Derna.
Supplies.
Strength.
Landing.
Prevalent winds.
XVI
APPENDIX.
Pilot.
Marks.
reasons vessels bound to Egypt frequently make Ras Sem, and con-
tinue along shore.
Vessels desirous of entering the harbour, may always procure a
pilot, by making the usual signal, except it blow hard, in which
case he prefers standing upon the point near the castle, and waves
his barracan to the right or left, as he wishes the helm to be put.
But as this pilotage may not suit every person, ships would perhaps
prefer standing off, until the weather moderated ; particularly, as at
such times the channel is difficult to hit, on account of the breakers
extending across it. But should it be attempted, the weather chan-
nel will of course be preferred.
The mark for the southern one, is the castle in one with the
marabut on the hill to the north-east of the town, and for the
northern one, the four date-trees on Juliana point in one, with an old
ruined fort upon the rising ground inland of them. But both these
passages are very narrow, and it would be more advisable to conn
the ship between the reefs, than trust to the marks, as the slightest
deviation from them would put the vessel on shore.
When through the breakers, avoid the shore off the castle, as a
shoal extends some distance off it ; the edge of it is steep, and may
generally be seen, and continued along to the west anchorage, which
is about three hundred yards west-north-west of the point of a nar-
row pit of sand, that contracts the port to its present limit.
The depth of water in the harbour varies constantly, according to
the winds which prevail in the offing. We observed that the greatest
increase was with north-westerly gales, and vice versa ; they gene-
rally occasioned a rise of two or three feet, and if continued, even more
than that. North-easterly winds had but little effect upon it.
APPENDIX.
xvii
REMARKS ON THE NAVAL AFFAIRS OF THE ANCIENTS, AND THE
RATES OF SAILING OF THEIR VESSELS AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.
The Greater Syrtis appears to have been at all times ill provided with
ports and harbours, and may at the present day be considered to be
wholly unprovided with any ; that is to say, with any which could
be used as such by ships of modern construction. It will be
observed that the whole line of coast laid down in the chart is, at
the same time, very indifferently formed by nature to afford security
to vessels of any description.
It was not, however, necessary that the ports of the ancients
should possess wholly by nature those local advantages which are
at the present day considered to be essential for affording protec-
tion ; and we find that many of them existed in places which must
always have been unqualified by their position for affording the
security required. In such places art was made to supply the defi-
ciencies of nature, and harbours were built where none could other-
wise have been obtained. The mode of constructing these artificial
ports has been clearly defined by Vitruvius ; and as it may serve to
explain what we have stated with respect to the present state of the
ports of Ptolemeta and Aspis, we shall submit the passage in ques-
tion as we have extracted it from Wilkins’s translation.
“ A spot was, if possible, selected, which had the advantage of
some protection on one of its sides; and the want of a corresponding
defence on the other side was supplied in the following manner : —
rows of grooved beams were driven in the water, connected by oaken
planks, and bound together by chains. The surface of the ground
below the water was then levelled and consolidated by means of
transtilli, and the space comprehended between the beams filled up
with a composition of rough stone, and cement formed of sea-sand
mixed with lime, in the proportion of two parts to one, which soon
XVlll
APPENDIX.
produced a solid wall.” The author adds, “ that sand should be
procured for this purpose from the sea-coast between CumEe and the
promontory of Minerva,” which seems to be considered by him as
most efficient in forming the cement here alluded to.
If the beams could not, however, be firmly fixed, on account of
the action of tides or currents, or from being too much exposed to a
heavy swell from the open sea, a strong buttress is recommended
by Vitruvius to be built upon the water’s edge, and a portion some-
what less than half the upper surface of the buttress to be con-
structed upon a horizontal level, the remaining part inclining
towards the sea. Upon the edges of this part of the buttress walls
were to be raised to the height of the level part, of a foot and a half
in thickness, and the intermediate space filled with sand. Upon
this foundation a solid pile, we are told, may be built, which, after
being finished, should be left to dry for two months at least. The
walls which were raised upon the edges of the inclined surface of
the buttress, and which seemed to confine the sand, should then be
destroyed ; and the water, in washing away the sand by degrees,
will undermine the pile, and cause it to be precipitated into the sea.
This operation should be repeated until the whole is complete.
In places, however, (Vitruvius observes) where this sand is not
to be procured, other methods must be resorted to. The space,
which the mole is intended to occupy, having been inclosed by a
double range of beams connected by planks and chains, the interval
between the ranges should be filled with loam, rammed into baskets
made of the ulva palustris. The space being filled by masses of
this kind, stowed as closely together as possible, the water con-
tained in the inclosed area may be removed by engines calculated
for the purpose, such as cochleae, rotae, and tympana ; and when the
ground is left perfectly dry, the foundations may be dug of greater
width than the walls they are intended to support, and filled in with
rough stone, lime, and sand. Piles of charred alder, olive, or oak,
must first be driven into the ground if it be soft, and the intervals
between them filled with charred wood, in the manner recommended
APPENDIX.
XIX
for forming the foundations of the walls of theatres. The walls
should then be built upon these foundations with squared blocks of
considerable length, so that the stones between these blocks, which
extend across the wall, may be bound firmly together. The space
inclosed by the walls may be filled in with rubble, or stone-work,
and be made so firm that a tower may be erected upon it. The
mole being completed, (continues our author) the docks should be
built facing the north ; because the greater heat of a southern aspect
occasions a more rapid decay, and engenders and nourishes moths,
ship-worms, and other noxious insects. Timber should, at the
same time, be used as sparingly as possible in works of this kind,
that they may not be liable to accidents by fire *.
Harbours f of this kind were usually built in a semicircular form,
with arms of great length extended into the sea ; these were sorae-
^ times called from their resemblance to crabs’ claws Cicero
terms them cornua (horns). (Epist. ad Attic, lib. ix. ep. 19.)
For the better security of the ships within the harbour, it was
usual to draw strong chains or booms across the entrance, and to
defend them with large pales, fortified against the water with pitch.
On both sides of the mole were strong towers, which were garri-
soned with troops ; and not far from these was a watch-tower, or light-
house, called Pharos, which name belonged originally to a little
island in the mouth of the Nile, where the first of these towers was
built, but was afterwards naturalized both in Greece and at Rome.
In the innermost part of the harbour vessels were often sufiered to
lie unmoored, whereas in other parts of the port, which were not so
well secured, they were either chained to the land, or obliged to lie
at anchor. This portion of the harbour was divided into several
partitions by walls, constructed for the most part with stone, within
* See Wilkins’s Vitruvius.
t The following remarks on the ports and vessels of the ancients are drawn
from the Archaeologia of Potter ; and we have thought it not irrelevant to the
subject to bring them together on the present occasion,
t Diodorus, lib. xii.
c 2
XX
APPENDIX.
which the vessels laid very securely, without the necessity, as we
have just mentioned, of using either cable or chain. These places
were termed o§/xoi, v(^oqij.oi, vavXoxoi, ormoi, uphormoi, naulokoi, &c.,
and formed altogether what was called va.vaTacQix.os (mustathmos )
Here were likewise the docks in which ships were built, or careened,
drawn up on the beach.
Most harbours were adorned with temples, or altars, where
sacrifices were offered to the tutelar deities of the place, and to
those which presided over the sea and the winds. The adjacent
places were filled with inns and other places of public entertainment,
for the use of mariners, merchants, &c., who might be stationed
or touch at the port.
In times of war, harbours were also defended on the land side by
a ditch and parapet, or by a wall, built in the form of a semicircle,
extending from one point of the sea to the other. The wall was
occasionally defended by towers, and beautified with gates, through
which the garrison sometimes issued to attack their enemies.
Towards the sea, or within it, pales of wood were also fixed, like
those in the harbours, before which the vessels of burthen were
placed in such order as to serve instead of a wall, and to give pro-
tection to those within. Nicias is reported by Thucydides to have
entrenched himself in this manner ; but it seems only to have been
practised when the enemy were supposed to be very superior in
strength, or excited unusual apprehension; at other times a few
ships were appointed to reconnoitre the hostile squadron, and to
observe the enemy’s motions.
When the fortifications were considered sufficiently strong to resist
any assault which might be made upon them, the vessels were
usually hauled up on the beach, and around them were pitched the
tents of the soldiers and sailors, as appears everywhere in Homer,
Thucydides, &c. This practice, however, seems only to have been
resorted to in the winter season, when the enemy’s fleet was equally
* The harbour at Ptolemeta presents an example of works of this description.
APPENDIX.
XXI
laid up, and there was no apprehension of an assault ; or in long-
continued sieges, where no danger was to be apprehended from the
enemy’s navy, as in the Trojan war, when the Greeks were never
attacked by sea. At other times the ships lay at anchor, or were
made fast to the shore, that upon any alarm they might be ready to
receive the enemy.
The ships of the ancients were very differently constructed from
those which are at this day in use ; and their rate of sailing was,
for the most part, even lower than that of the dullest sailing
vessel we are at present acquainted with. The rate, however,
varied at different times, and will be found at some periods of the
Roman empire to have been extremely respectable.
The earliest ships were built with very little art or contrivance,
and had neither strength nor durability, beauty nor ornament ; they
consisted of nothing more than single planks laid together, just suffi-
ciently united to keep out the water, and were in some places
nothing more than trunks of trees hollowed out, forming vessels
of single pieces of timber. Other materials besides wood were also
employed in the construction of ships ; among which may be men-
tioned the Egyptian papyrus, and more especially the hides of dif-
ferent animals, of which the primitive vessels were very frequently
composed. These were sometimes girt with wicker-work, and fre-
quently used in that manner, even in later times, on the rivers of
Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sabsean Arabia.
In early periods, however, when vessels of this construction were
employed, we find no mention of anything but leather, or hides
sewed together. It was in a ship of this kind that Dardanus
secured his flight from Saraothracia to the country afterwards called
Troas ; and Charon’s boat was also (according to Virgil) constructed
of the same material *.
On their first invention, all ships, for whatever purpose they might
Gemuit sub pondere cymba
Suctilis, et multam accepit rimosa paludem. — Mneid, vi. 414.
Construction of
ancient vessels.
XXll
APPENDIX.
have been designed, appear to have been of the same form ; but
the various ends of navigation, some of which were better answered
by one form, some by another, soon gave occasion for a distinction,
not only in point of size, but also in the mode of construction and
equipment.
Without attempting to enumerate every trifling alteration, we
may state generally, that the vessels of the ancients were divided
into three classes — ships of burthen, of war, and of passage ; and
these again had their several distinctions into other classes and sub-
Managemerit of
the vessels.
Number of banks
of oars.
divisions. Ships of burthen were usually of an orbicular form,
having large and capacious hulls for the convenience of stowage ;
whereas, ships of war were of a greater length in proportion to their
size, as we find to be the case at the present day. Transport ves-
sels were of a form between the ships of war and of burthen, being
more capacious than the former, and longer than the last-mentioned
species.
There was at the same time a difference in the managetnent of
the vessels enumerated. Men-of-war, though not wholly destitute of
sails, were chiefly managed with oars, that they might be more able
to tack and manoeuvre in light or contrary winds, and to lay them-
selves alongside the enemy to advantage ; while the other two species
were commonly governed by sails, and vessels of transport were
towed, when it was practicable, with ropes. All three modes of go-
vernment (by sail, oar, and tow-rope) were, however, occasionally
adopted by each of the classes. The rowers were not placed, as some
have imagined, upon the same level in different parts of the ship, nor
perpendicularly above each other’s heads ; but their seats, being fixed
one at the back of another, ascended gradually in the manner of
stairs. The most usual number of these banks was three, four, and
five, composing what are called trireme, quadrireme, and quinqui-
reme galleys ; the second of these having a range of oars more than
the first, and the third a range more than the second — the height
of the vessel always increasing in proportion to the number of ranges.
In primitive times, the long ships had only one bank of oars ; and
APPENDIX.
XXIll
therefore, when we find them called TrsvrexovTOM, (fifty-oared), and
£xaTovTO|oi (hundred-oared), we are not to suppose they were rowed with
fifty and an hundred banks, but only with so many oars. The ship
Argo, invented by Jason, was rowed with fifty oars, and, according to
some writers, was the first of the long ships; all vessels, till that time,
having been of a form much more inclining to oval. Others carry the
invention of long ships somewhat higher, referring it to Danaus, who
sailed from Egypt to Greece in a ship (we are told) of fifty oars ; and
even if Jason be allowed to have been the first who introduced the
long ships into Greece, yet he cannot be considered as the original
contriver of them, but rather an imitator of the Egyptian or African
model, the latter of which was constructed some time before by
Atlas, and much adopted in that part of the Mediterranean. The
first who used a double bank of oars were the Erythrreans, and
Aminocles of Corinth added a third, as Herodotus, Thucydides, and
Diodorus have reported ; although Clemens Alexandrinus attributes
this invention to the Sidonians. A fourth bank was added by a
Carthaginian called Aristotle ; and Nesicthon of Salamis (accord-
ing to Pliny), or Dionysius the Sicilian (according to Diodorus),
increased the number to five ; Xenagoras of Syracuse added a
sixth ; and Nesigiton increased the number to ten. Alexander
the Great and Ptolemy Soter had vessels of twelve and fifteen banks
of oars ; and Philip, the father of Perseus, is said to have had one
of sixteen.
As the method of erecting one bank above another came to be
generally known, it was easy to make further additions ; Demetrius,
the son of Antigonus, built a ship of thirty banks ; and Ptolemy Philo-
pator, that he might outdo his predecessors, enlarged the number still
further to forty ; which, as all other parts were necessarily in propor-
tion, raised the vessel to such an enormous size, that it appeared at
a distance like a floating mountain or island, and on a nearer view
took the form of a huge castle in the midst of the waves. This
enormous structure contained four thousand rowers, four hundred
sailors employed in other services, and a body of nearly three thou-
Extreme bulk of
some of the ves-
sels.
XXIV
APPENDIX.
sand soldiers ! But this, and such like fabrics, (says the author of
the Archceologia, from which we have extracted these particulars,)
served only for show and ostentation ; being by their great bulk ren-
dered unwieldy and unfit for ordinary use. AthenEeus (he adds)
has informed us, that these vessels were commonly known by the
names of Cyclades and ^tna ; names of islands and mountains, to
which they appeared almost equal in size — consisting, as some
report, of materials sufficient for the construction of at least fifty
triremes.
Besides those already mentioned, there were other vessels fitted
with half banks of oars, which seem to have been between a unireme
and a birerae, and consisting of a bank and a half; also some
between a bireme and a trireme, having two banks and an half of
oars. These, although perhaps built in other respects after the
model of the long ships, or men-of-war, are seldom comprehended
under that name, and are sometimes mentioned in opposition to
them.
Various descrip- Several other kinds of ships are enumerated by different authors,
ve° which varied from those already described ; being fitted for particu-
lar uses, or seas, or employed upon urgent occasions in naval fights,
but more commonly as (or tenders), and as victualling ships
for supplying the principal fleet.
Some were built for expedition, to carry expresses, or to observe
the enemy’s motions, without incurring the danger of being taken
by the heavier, and armed vessels ; these were distinguished from
the former by the manner of their construction and equipment, being
in part like men-of-war, and partly resembling ships of burthen,
while in some things they differed from both, as the various exi-
gencies for which they were fitted might seem to require.
Mode of rigging. Every ship m later times had several masts ; but we are told by
Aristotle, that at first there was only one mast, which was fixed in
the middle of the ship. On landing, the mast was taken down, as
appears everywhere in Homer, and placed on a thing called i,-oSox»i,
which apcording to Suidas, was a case wherein the mast was de-
APPENDIX.
XXV
posited ; but Eustathius will have it to be nothing more than a piece
of wood, against which it was reared. About the mast was con-
structed a kind of turret for soldiers to stand upon and cast darts.
Sails are by some thought to have been first invented by Daedalus,
and to have given rise to the fable of his using wings ; others refer
this invention to Icarus, making Daedalus the contriver of masts and
yards. There was originally only one sail in a ship ; but after-
wards a greater number was found convenient ; the names of which
are enumerated by Potter.
Sails were commonly of linen; but sometimes of any other material
fit for receiving and repelling the wind. We occasionally find men-
tion of leathern sails ; and it was usual with the ancients, when none
were at hand, to hang up their garments for this purpose ; whence
arose (continues our author) the fable of Hercules, who is feigned to
have sailed with the hack of a lion, because he used no other sail but
his garment, which was a lion’s skin. Occasionally the ropes and rig-
ging were for the most part composed of leathern thongs; afterwards
cordage of hemp and flax came into use, as well as of broom, palm-
leaves, philyry, and the bark of trees, such as cherry, vine, maple,
6tc. The oars were usually covered with brass in the blade, or
broad part of the oar, to make them stronger and more durable ;
the oars of the lowest bank were shorter than the rest, and those of
the uppermost ranges were necessarily the longest, being at the
greatest distance from the water, for which reason it was customary
to load their handles with lead, lest the bottom should outpoise the
top. The row-locks, and the seats of the rowers were generally
covered with hides.
The most ancient anchors are said to have been of stone, and
occasionally of wood, to which a quantity of lead w'as attached. In
some places, baskets full of stones, and sacks filled with sand, were
employed for this purpose. In later times they were composed of
iron, and furnished with teeth (arms,) whence oSovtes and dentes
are frequently used for the anchors themselves in the Greek and
Latin poets. Originally there was only one tooth ; but a second
d
Oars and anchors.
XXVI
APPENDIX.
Equipment of
vessels.
Ships’ companies.
was added by Eupalanaus, or by Anacharsis, the Scythian philo-
sopher.
The Scholiast on Apollonius confidently asserts, that this species
of anchor was used by the Argonauts ; but herein (says Potter) he
appears to deserve no great credit, for his assertion is contrary to the
testimony of other writers, and his own author, Apollonius, makes
mention of none but those of stone. The anchors with two teeth
appear, from ancient monuments, to have been much the same with
those which are used in the present day, except that the transverse
piece or anchor-stock is found to be wanting in all of them. Every
ship had several anchors, one of which surpassed all the others in
point of size and strength, and was never used but in cases of extreme
danger ; for which reason it was termed in Latin, sacra ; and
■sacrani anchoram solvere, is proverbially applied to such as are forced
to their last refuge. The instrument which answered to the lead of
modern days was also composed of lead or brass, and lowered by
a chain instead of a line.
Cables were sometimes called y-ai^iXoi, or Kan-'nXoi, (camili, or
cameli,) whence, in the passage of St. Matthew, where our Saviour
remarks, that “ it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven,”
Theophylactus, and some others, have interpreted the word
(camelus) not as meaning the animal, but the cable so called.
With regard to the equipment of the vessels of the ancients, we
are told by Thucydides, that there was originally no distinction of
rank among their crews ; but that the same persons were employed
indiscriminately in those duties which in later ages were executed
by separate orders of men, that is to say, by rowers, mariners, and
soldiers. The same men originally filled these three offices ; they
laid down their arms to labour at the oar, and to do, perhaps, what
w’as necessary in other respects for the management of the vessel
they belonged to ; but resumed them as often as occasion required,
to assault, or defend themselves from, their enemies. At these
periods no extraordinary preparations were made for the equip-
APPENDIX.
XXV n
merit of ships of war, but the same vessels were thought sufficient
to answer the purposes of fighting and transport indiscriminately.
As the arts of navigation and of naval warfare improved, it was
found that any one of the occupations we have enumerated was
enough to engross the whole time and application of the persons
employed in the performance of it ; and it then became customary
to furnish ships of war with three distinct orders of men; viz.,
rowers, mariners, and soldiers. The rowers were divided into three
classes ; those of the upper, the middle, and the lower ranges. Each
person had a separate oar, for, except in cases of necessity, one oar
was never managed by more than one person ; but the labour and
pay of the several classes of rowers were not at the same time
equal : they who were stationed in the uppermost banks, by reason
of their distance from the water, and the consequent length of their
oars, underwent more toil and labour than those in the inferior banks,
and their pay was on that account greater.
The crew took their rest upon the deck, or upon the seats where
they rowed ; and the officers only, or persons of more than ordinary
rank on board, were permitted to have clothes spread under them ;
of which the following instance is quoted by the author of the
Archaeologia from Homer : —
But clothes the men for great Ulysses spread,
And placed an easy pillow for his head ;
On these he undisturb’d, securely slept,
Lying upon the stern.
They who could not content themselves with the accommodation
here afforded to the son of Laertes, were looked upon as effeminate,
and unfit to endure the toils and hardships of war : we find accord-
ingly, that Alcibiades was censured by the Athenians, for having
allowed himself the luxury of a “ bed hung on cords,” or, in other
words, a cot or a hammock.
The class termed mariners were exempt from drudging at the
oar, but performed all the other duties of the ship ; and in order that
every thing might be carried on without tumult or confusion, each had
Scxviii
APPENDIX.
Instruments of
Avar.
his peculiar office assigned to him, as appears from the Argonautics
of Apollonius and Flaccus. We there find one employed in rearing
the mast, another in fitting the yards, a third in hoisting the sails,
and the rest employed fore and aft in the ship, each in his proper
place. Hence, they had different titles to distinguish them, taken
from the parts of the ship where they were stationed, and the offices
which they were in the habit of performing.
There was a class of men inferior to the rest of the crew, which
was not confined to any particular station or duty, but was ready on
all occasions to attend the other seamen, and supply them with
whatever they wanted.
“ The whole ship’s crew,” says Potter, “ were usually wicked and
profligate fellows, ivithout any sense of religion or humanity, and there-
fore reckoned by Juvenal among the vilest of rogues * f”
It does not, however, follow, because Juvenal here alludes to sailors
of the worst description, that he considered every ship’s company in
the light of thieves and deserters.
The soldiers who served at sea were armed after the same manner
with those designed for land service ; only that among them there
seems to have been a greater number of heavy-armed men than was
considered to be necessary on shore ; for we find in Plutarch, that
of Themistocles’ ships, four only were light-armed. Indeed, it
highly imported them (says Potter) to fortify themselves in the best
manner they could, since there was no possibility of retiring, or
changing places ; but every man was obliged to fight hand to hand,
and maintain his ground till the battle was ended ; wherefore their
whole armour, though in form usually the same with that employed
on land service, yet exceeded it in strength and firmness. Besides
this, we find also some instruments of war used at sea, which were
never employed on shore ; the principal of which were : — spears of
an unusual length, sometimes exceeding twenty cubits ; instruments
of iron crooked like a sickle and fixed to the top of a long pole,
wherewith they cut in sunder (continues our author) the cords of the
* ItiA’enies aliquo cum percussore jacentem,
Permixtum nautis aut furibus aut fugitivis. — (Sat. viii.)
APPENDIX.
XXIX
sail-yards, and thereby letting the sails fall down, disabled the light
ships. Not unlike this, he adds, was another instrument, armed at
the end with a broad iron head, edged on both sides, wherewith they
cut the cords that made fast the rudder of the ship.
There were also engines to cast stones into the enemy’s vessels ;
and another engine is mentioned by Vegetius, which hung upon the
mainmast, and resembled a battering ram ; it consisted of a long
beam with a head of iron, and was pushed with great violence
against the sides of adverse ships. Besides these, there were
grappling irons, which were cast out of an engine into the vessels of
the enemy ; these are said to have been first used in Greece by
Pericles the Athenian, at Rome by Duilius ; hooks of iron were also
used, which were hung on the top of a pole, and being secured with
chains to the masts or some other lofty part, and cast with great
force into the enemy’s ship, caught it up into the air*.
The means used to defeat this extraordinary engine, were, (it is
said) to cover the ships with hides, which cast off, or blunted the
stroke of the iron.
With regard to the naval officers employed by the ancients, we
find that in all fleets there were two superior to the rest ; one took
the command of the vessels and seamen, the other of the soldiers ;
but this latter had also some power over the ship-masters (as Potter
calls them) and their crews.
The commission of admiral varied according to the exigency of
times and circumstances, being sometimes held by one alone, some-
times in conjunction with others; as happened to Alcibiades, Nicias,
and Lamachus, who were sent with equal power to command the
Athenian fleet in Sicily. The period of command was also limited
by the people, and shortened or prolonged as they pleased. AVe
* This engine appears to have been invented by Anacharsis the Scythian, and
although one somewhat similar is said to have been employed by Archimedes against
the enemy’s fleet at Syracuse, it is difficult to conceive how it could be used with
advantage at sea; except, perhaps, by a vessel very considerably heavier than that
against which it might be employed.
Officers-
XXX
APPENDIX.
read of Epaminondas (continues our author), that, finding his
country would probably be exposed to great danger upon the resig-
nation of his office, he held it four months longer than he was com-
missioned to do ; during which time he put a new face upon the affairs
of the Thebans, and by his skilful management dispelled the fears
under which they laboured ; this done, he voluntarily laid down his
power ; but had no sooner relinquished it, than he was called to
account for having held it so long, and narrowly escaped being con-
demned to death ! It was feared, it seems, that a precedent of this
nature might at some future time be dangerous to the commonwealth,
and facilitate the views of ambitious persons intrusted with so high
a command, who might avail themselves of it to enslave their fellow-
citizens. For the same reason, probably, by the Lacedsemonian
law, no person could be admiral more than once, a regulation which
nevertheless (continues Potter) stood them in no good stead, it
thereby often happening that they were forced to commit their fleet
to raw and inexperienced commanders.
Next in rank to these were what may be termed vice-admirals,
who acted under the admirals.
The captains of vessels took their names from the rate of the
ships they commanded ; and, without enumerating all the different
persons intrusted with commands of various kinds, we may observe
that the duty of master appears to have been split into several parts,
and each person holding a portion of it (whom we may call master’s
mate) to have been distinguished by a different appellation.
The master himself (properly so called) took charge of the helm as
well as of the ship, and sat at the stern to steer; he was obliged, at
the same time, to be an accomplished pilot, and familiar with all the
harbours, rocks, quicksands, &c., which were likely to present them-
selves in the voyage.
The labour of the rowers, which must have been excessive, was
cheered by a musician appointed for the purpose, who at the same
time contributed, by his voice and his instrument, to make the rowers
keep time and pull together. This office could have been no sine-
APPENDIX.
XX.XI
cure ; and the lungs of the musician must have been formed of no
ordinary materials.
The heavenly bodies (continues our author) were observed by sai- Steering by fixed
lors on a twofold account ; being of use to them in prognosticating the
seasons, and as guides to direct their course. The chief stars observed which were the
in foretelling the weather were Arcturus, the Dog-star, Arse, Orion,
® ° . served by the an-
Hyades, Hsedi, Castor and Pollux, Helena, &c. It was likewise cients.
customary to take notice of various omens offered by sea-fowl, fishes. Reliance upon
and divers other things, as the murmuring of the floods, the shaking
and buzzing noise of trees in the neighbouring woods, the dashing
of the billows against the shore, and many more, in all which good
pilots were nicely skilled. As to the direction in their voyage, the
first practitioners in the art of navigation, being unacquainted with
the rest of the celestial motions, steered all the day by the course
of the sun, betaking themselves at night to some safe harbour, or Exclusive course
making fast their vessel to, and sleeping on, shore ; not daring to
venture to sea till their guide had risen to discover the way ; that times.
this was their constant custom, may be observed from the ancient
descriptions of those times, whereof, says Potter, I shall only give
the following instance :
Sol ruit interea, et montes umbrantur opaci,
Sternimur optatae gremio telluris ad undam,
Sortiti remos, passimque in littore sicco
Corpora curamus, fessos sopor irrigat artus. — Mneid, iii. v. 50S.
Afterwards the Phoenicians, who some will have to be the first
inventors of navigation, discovered the motions of other stars, as may
be observed in Pliny (lib. vii.), and Propertius (lib. ii. v. 990). We
find the Phoenicians to have been directed by Cynosura, or the Lesser
Bear (which was first observed, in the opinion of some, by Thales
the Milesian) ; when the mariners of Greece, as well as of other nations,
steered by the Greater Bear, called Helice. For the first observation
of this they were obliged to Nauplius, if we may believe Theon ; or,
according to the report of Flaccus (Argonaut 1), to Tiphys, the pilot
of the celebrated Argo. But of these two, we are told by Theon,
xxxn
APPENDIX.
the former was the securer guide, and therefore was followed by the
Phoenicians, who for skill in marine affairs outstripped not only
all the rest of the world, but even the Grecians themselves.
RATES OF SAILING OF ANCIENT VESSELS.
The general rate of sailing of the vessels of the ancients appears to
be even lower than we might naturally expect from their clumsy
and imperfect construction. This will be sufficiently evident from
the examples collected of their voyages, by the justly-celebrated
author of the Illustrations of Herodotus, a work which we are sorry
to say has become extremely scarce, since there are few books whose
circulation would be more advantageous to those who value histo-
rical and geographical research.
It will be seen, from a view of the examples in question, that
the mean rate of sailing of the best-equipped vessels of antiquity,
was no more than thirty-five and thirty-seven geographic miles per
day, equivalent to two and a half or three geographic miles an
hour, taking the day at twelve hours. We will give them in Major
Rennell’s own words.
” Miltiades, under favour of an easterly wind, passed in a single
day from Eleeos, in the Chersonese of Thrace, to Lemnos (Herod.
Erato 40) ; the distance is thirty-eight geographic miles only.
“ The fleet of Xerxes sailed in three days from the Euripus to
Phalerus, one of the ports of Attica (Urania 66). This is about
ninety-six geographic miles, or thirty-two per day. The fleet was
unusually great.
“ Nearchus reckoned the promontory of Maceta a day’s sail from
him when he first discovered it ; and it is shewn by circumstances
that the distance was about thirty-eight geographic miles (Arrian’s
Voyage of Nearchus).
Scylax allows seventy -five days and a quarter for the navigation
APPENDIX.
xxxiii
between Canopus and the pillars of Hercules ; equal to about thirty-
two per day (Periplus of Scylax, p. 51) *.
“ The Red Sea is forty days’ navigation (Eut. 11)^ and the track
which a ship must necessarily make through it is about thirteen
hundred geographic miles, or less ; so that the rate must be taken
at thirty-two per day.
“ The Euxine is said by the same author (Melp. 186) to be six-
teen days’ navigation from the Bosphorus to the Phasis ; producing
about thirty-eight per day ; he says, indeed, nine days and eight
nights, which, according to his own rule given in the same place, is
equal to sixteen days.
“ The Caspian Sea is said by the same author (Clio, 203) to be
fifteen days’ navigation for a swift-rowing vessel ; and being about
six hundred and thirty miles long, this allows a rate of forty-two.
“ Pliny says (lib. vi. 23), that it was forty days’ sail from the out-
let of the Red Sea to the coast of India (Malabar), which is about
one thousand seven hundred and fifity geographic miles, equal to
forty-four.
“ He also reckons it thirty days’ sail from Berenice to the outlet
of the Red Sea ; this would give about thirty per day only.
“ It will be seen that the mean rate of sailing, resulting from
these examples, is thirty-seven geographic miles per day ; and that
of the six first, which Major Rennell considers to be the fairest, no
more than thirty -five such miles in the same time.
“We may add (continues our author), that the mean rate of
Nearchus was no more than twenty-two and a half during his
voyage ; and less than thirty through the Persian Gulf. But we
regard his rate as unusually low, for the reasons above stated f.
* The rate given by Scylax between Leptis Magna and Abrotonum, is even lower
than this, — being under thirty geographic miles per day ; that is, supposing Tagiura
(which is fifty-eight miles from Lebida) to occupy the site of Abrotonum.
t Because his fleet was composed, in a great part of vessels ill calculated for long
voyages ; and the sailing of the slow-goers would naturally regulate that of the rest.
XXXIV
APPENDIX.
“ It appears from Procopius (Vandal, lib. i. c. 12), that the fleet
of Belisarius was sixteen days on its passage from Zante to Cau-
cana in Sicily. The distance being three hundred and twenty
geographic miles, gives twenty such miles per day, or about two
hundred and fifty stadia. This must be regarded as the ^ffect of
oars generally ; there being very little wind, or almost a continued
calm.
“ Diodorus (lib. v. c. 2) says, that tin was carried across in four
days from Britain to Gaul, where it was landed, and carried across
the Rhone in thirty journies. From the descriptions and the circum-
stances altogether, it appears to have been embarked at St. Michael’s
Mount in Cornwall, and landed near the other mount of the same
name in France ; perhaps at St. Maloes.
“ This would give a rate of about forty miles per day : but he says
(Diodorus) that the western promontory of Britain is four days’ sail
from the opposite continent.
“ It is conceived (Major Rennell continues) that the slow progress
of the vessels of the ancients will be readily admitted ; since in
addition to so many other examples, we have the reports of Hero-
dotus and Nearchus, — of the latter respecting the length of a day’s
sail ; of the former, as to the space actually sailed through in the
course of a day, and remarked as an uncommon long run in those
days ; as also the time required to navigate the Red Sea and the
Euxine, the latter of which appears to be reported from Herodotus’s
own experience.
“ In effect none of these differ materially from the rest : — the mean
rate of all, then, being so low as thirty-seven geographic miles, we
are naturally led to inquire (continues the Major) why there should
be so great a disproportion between the sailing of ancient and
modern ships ; since a day’s sail (of four-and-twenty hours) of a
modern ship cannot be reckoned at less than three times that of the
ancient ones ?
“ Even the worst description of modern vessels of which we have
any knowledge seems to be superior to the antient ones in respect
APPENDIX.
XXXV
of their daily progress. And therefore we suppose that some cause
is to be looked for, besides that of dulness of sailing.
“ That this had a considerable share in the delay is evident, by
the circumstance mentioned by Pliny (if we may depend upon the
numbers), of the Roman Ships sailing no more than about forty -four
geographical miles per day across to open sea between Arabia and
India, in which we cannot suppose them to have absolutely stopped
at night, as in their coasting voyages and in soundings.
“ We may reckon, at a medium, from thirteen to fourteen hours
of daylight throughout the year in that parallel ; so that three miles
per hour for the daylight makes up the whole sum (bating three or
four miles), which is a very slow rate of sailing before the brisk
monsoon that prevails in that sea, and leaves little or nothing for
the night ; and although it is possible, and even probable, that they
may have lain to during this interval, yet ten or eleven hours drift
must amount to something. Hence we shall not lay so great a stress
on this instance, being a solitary one of the kind, as on the others in
the coasting navigation. In these it appears almost certain that the
ordinary mode of sailing was confined to daylight ; for without a
compass, or a substitute for it, great danger must have been incurred
in the night, when a small error in the angle of the course would be
fatal. Lighthouses, on prominent parts of the coast, would doubtless
direct them ; but this could not be a general arrangement, and must
have been confined to particular coasts only. Notwithstanding,
sailing by night was doubtless practised occasionally, as in clear
moonlight, or at other times when necessity pressed, or the nature
of the shore (as at the mouths of the Tigris and Euphrates) prevented
his coming to an anchor or landing. Sailing by night is also
implied, when Scylax admits nights as well as days in his calcula-
tion of the distance between Carthage and the columns of Hercules ;
a navigation by no means intricate, and perhaps assisted by light-
houses or signal fires. It must also have been occasionally prac-
tised in the Euxine. (See Note to p. 678, article 6.)
“ In effect, then (Major Rennell continues), we must suppose a rate
'xxxvi
APPENDIX.
of sailing of only two and a half sea, or geographic, miles per hour,
or less than three at the utmost. The cause must either have been
the defective form of the ships’ hulls, or the faulty disposition of the
cargo and ballast, which might not permit them to spread sail
enough*. Certainly the sails of ancient ships are represented, on
medals, as being remarkably small, and do not seem to be on a par
in that respect even with Chinese junks, which, like the others, have
generally lower masts only. If we reject the examples given by
Herodotus on the Caspian Sea, and by Pliny in the open sea, as
being out of rule, we have thirty-five (miles) only for the mean rate
per day of the Grecian, Egyptian, Phoenician and Carthaginian
ships, between the times of Darius, Hystaspes and Alexander, gene-
rally ; and in which none rise above thirty-eight, or fall below
thirty-two sea miles.
“ It appears (continues our author) that the principal difficulty to
be surmounted in antient voyages, arose from the impracticability of
storing the ships with provisions adequate to the vast length of
time required for their navigation, when the rate of sailing was so
remarkably slow. They were ill adapted to distant voyages, which
indeed they seldom, it appears, undertook, but did very well in
situations where they could land and command provisions almost at
pleasure ; or, at any rate, by compulsion, when they sailed in fleets.
But, on the other hand, they were better adapted to those coasting
voyages which constituted almost the whole of their navigation.
The flatness of their bottoms required much less depth of water than
modern vessels of the same tonnage: whence arose an incredi-
ble advantage over ours in finding shelter more frequently ; and
indeed almost everywhere, except on a steep or rocky shore — since,
in default of shelter afloat, they drew their large ships upon the
beach, as our fishermen do their large boats. And we may certainly
* The constant yawing to which the vessels of the antients must from their build
have been necessarily exposed, in a far greater degree than even our light colliers,
(their upper works being lofty, sails small, and floor flat.) would also materially
contribute to retard their progress.
APPENDIX.
xxxvn
conclude, that vessels of a construction and size best adapted to the
service of discovery and long voyages were chosen on occasions
like the present.”
In addition to the instances selected by Major Rennell, as proofs
of the slow rate of sailing of the yessels of the ancients, we here
submit a few examples of a contrary tendency ; and from these it
will appear (if the numbers of Pliny may be relied upon), that navi-
gation under the Romans had made rapid strides, and that voyages
undertaken by the vessels of the empire must have been performed
under other disadvantages than those resulting from a slow rate of
sailing, when they are found to be so bad as those which we have
instanced above.
The Preefect Galerius is stated by Pliny (lib. xix, Proemium)
to have employed no more than seven days in the voyage from
Sicily to Alexandria ; and Rabilius is said, immediately afterwards,
to have made the same voyage in six.
We cannot reckon less than one thousand Roman miles for the
distance between the Faro of Messina and Alexandria ; which per-
formed in the space of seven days (as first mentioned), would give
a rate of one hundred and forty-three M.P. per day ; and being
reckoned at six (as in the latter instance), a rate of one hundred and
fifty such miles.
In the same place we find that Valerius Marianus accomplished
the voyage from Puteoli to Alexandria in the space of nine days
(lenissimo flatu), under the disadvantage of extremely light winds.
This may be reckoned at two hundred and fifty M.P. more than the
voyage above stated, or one thousand two hundred and fifty Roman
miles ; and from it will be found to result a distance of nearly one
hundred and forty M.P. per day— differing very little from the
instance first mentioned, and much less from the latter than might
reasonably be expected, from the circumstances under which it was
performed.
We also find, from what follows, in the passage alluded to, that
the voyage from the Straits of Gibraltar to Ostia was accomplished
Allow current 2.
miles per hour.
Mean rate.
xxxviii APPENDIX.
in the course of a week ; and as it cannot be reckoned at less than
one thousand three hundred Roman miles (supposing it to have been
a coasting voyage), or at less than one thousand two hundred and
twenty-five M.P., in straight course to the southward of Sardinia, we
must conclude that the vessel in which it was performed actually
sailed at the rate of more than one hundred and eighty-five M.P. in
the first instance, and one hundred and seventy -five in the latter.
Other examples follow, of the coasting voyage just mentioned in
detail — viz. from Ostia to the Provincia Narbonensis (say, the south-
east point of the Gulf of Lyons), the Gallicus Sinus of the Romans, a
distance of four hundred and fifty M.P., performed in the space of
three days ; this gives a rate of one hundred and fifty miles per day.
From Ostia to the coast of Spain (Hispania Citerior), say the
south-western point of the same Gulf, which is the nearest that can
be taken, is four days ; this would give a rate of more than one hun-
dred and sixty M.P. per day.
Again, from the same port (Ostia) to the coast of Africa, in two
days ; which, taken at the nearest points, Carthage, or Utica, on the
extremity of the .Hermseum Promontorium, could not be less than
three hundred and fifty Roman miles in straight course. This
will afibrd us a rate of one hundred and seventy-five M.P. per day,
the exact rate of the sailing from Ostia to Gibraltar, in the straight
course imagined above.
It does not appear that there is any mistake in the numbers here
mentioned by Pliny ; for the instances are all of them consistent
with each other ; one only being a little below one hundred and
forty M.P. per day, and another one hundred and forty-three ; two
examples afford one hundred and fifty, one hundred and sixty, two
one hundred and seventy -five, and one one hundred and eighty-five.
The lowest of these rates of sailing may be reckoned at between six
and seven M.P. per hour, and the highest at something less than
eight; giving a mean of seven M.P. per hour, which would be
reckoned a good one for ships of the present day.
One of the reasons to which this great improvement in ancient
APPENDIX.
XXXIX
vessels may be attributed, appears to be clearly stated by Pliny
himself, in the Proemium from which we have selected the examples
here* adduced: we allude to the increased number and size of
the sails in use, at the time when the historian flourished, as noticed
in the preface in question attached to the nineteenth book.
Before entering upon the dissertation on flax, with which this
book opens, the Roman naturalist indulges himself in calling to mind
some of the extraordinary eflects resulting from the various applica-
tions of that humble and unassuming plant ; and gives way to his
feelings with so much enthusiasm and good sense, that it will not,
we think, be considered tedious or superfluous, if we extract the
greater part of the preface from the old English translation of
Holland f.
* Jam vero nec vela satis esse majora navigiis. Sed quamvis amplitudini an-
temnarum singulae arbores sufficiaiit, super eas tamen addi velarum alia vela,
praeterq ; alia in proris, et alia in puppibus pandi, ac tot modis provocari mortem.
t “ And here I cannot chuse but marvell much at some men, who making such
profession of learning, and namely, in the skill and science of agriculture, as they
have done ; yea, and seeking thereby to win all their credit and name of erudition
and litterature ; have, notwithstanding, omitted many things requisite thereunto,
without any mention made, or one word spoken of so many hearbes and simples,
which either come up of themselves, or grow by meanes of man’s hand : consider-
ing that the most part of them are in greater price and reputation, yea, and in
more use and request for the maintenance of this our life, than either come
or pulse, or any fruits of the earth whatsoever.
“ And to begin first at those that are knowne commodities, and so notorious, as
that the use thereof not only reacheth all over the maine and continent, but ex-
tendeth also to the very seas, and overspreadeth them: what say we to line or flax,
so commonly sowed as it is? yet may it not be raunged either among the fruits of
the field, or hearbes of the garden. But what region (I pray you or part of the
earth is without it? and what is there so necessarie for this life of ours in all re-
spects? Againe, is there any thing in the whole world more wonderfull and mira-
culous, than that there should be an hearbe found of this vertue and propertie as to
bring Egypt and Italie together ? Insomuch, as Galerius, Lord Deputie in Egypt
under the Romanes, was knowne to set saile from the firth of Messina in the
Streights of Sicilie, and in seven daies to arrive at Alexandria: Babilius also
governour there likewise, in six ; and that by the meanes of the said hearbe ?
xl
APPENDIX.
It seems evident from the remarks here quoted below, that the
rate of sailing in Pliny’s time was greatly superior to that which
Moreover, what say you to this, which was seen no longer since than the summer
past; when Valerius Marianus a Senatour of Rome, and late Lord Pretour,
embarked and took ship at Puteoli, and in nine daies sailed to the said Alexandria,
and yet he had hut a very mild and still wind to helpe him in that voiage? Is not
this a strange and sovereign hearhe thinke you, that in a seven-night space can
fetch Gades from as far as the Streights of Gibraltar, or Hercules’ pillars, into the
harbour of Ostia in Italie ? can shew (I say) the kingdome of Catalogue in Spain
before the said port-town in foure daies, Provance in three, and Barbarie in twain?
For C. Flaccus, lieutenant under Vibius Crispus the Pro-consutl, did as much as I
speak of, and that with no great forewind, but a most gentle and mild gale. Oh
the audacious boldnesse of this world, so rash, so full of sin and wickednesse, that
man should sow and cherish any such thing as might receive and swallow the
winds, stormes, and tempests; as if the float and tide alone were not sufficient to
carrie so prowd a creature ! But now are we ’growne to this passe, that sailes big-
ger than the ships themselves will not serve our turnes. For albeit one must be
sufficient to carrie the biggest crosse-yard that can be devised, yet are not we con-
tent with a single maine-saile thereupon, unlesse we set up saile upon saile, top and
top-gallant : unlesse (I say) wee have foresailes and sprit-sailes in the prow, misns
also hoisted up and desplaied in the poupe ; and all to set us more forward upon
our death, and to hasten our end. Finally, is there ought againe so admirable, as
that of so small a graine as the lini-seed, there should grow that which is able to
carrie too and fro in a moment, this round globe of the earth; the same being so
slender a stalke as it is, and not growing high from the ground ? considering with-
all, that twisted it is not entire and whole in the stem : but before it can be occu-
pied it must bee watered, dried, braked, tew-tawed, and with much labour driven and
reduced in the end to bee as soft and tender as wooll: and all to doe violence to
nature and mankind even in the highest degree, in such sort, as a man is not able to
proceed so farre in execration as is due unto this invention. The first deviser
whereof I have inveighed against in convenient place elsewhere, and not without
desert : as who could not bee content that a man should die upon the land, but he
must perish upon the sea, to feed hadockes there, without the honour of sepulture.
“ In tlie booke but next before this, I gave warning and advertised men, that for
to enjoy come and other victuals necessarie for this life and suffisance and plentie,
w'e should beware of wind and rain. And now behold, man is so wicked and ungra-
cious, his w’it so inventive, that he wdll be sowing, tending, and plucking that wdth
his own hand w'hich cals for nothing else at sea but wind ; and never rests till burn-
ing bee come. See moreover how well this unhappie hand of his speeds, for there is
APPENDIX.
xli
has been given (from the Illustrations of Herodotus) down to the
time of Alexander the Great ; and when we find that other voyages
described by this author (as well as those which various writers of
his time have recorded) fall short of the rate of sailing deduced from
the last mentioned instances ; we may probably be allow'ed to make
the following conclusion — that the difference did not really so much
consist in the faulty construction of the vessels themselves, or the
little sail which they were able to carry, as in circumstances which
would equally contribute to retard ships constructed in modern days.
At the same time we may suppose that the voyages here enumerated
by Pliny were performed under the most favourable circumstances
which could be commanded. They were government vessels, and
probably equipped in the most liberal and judicious manner possible
at the time ; they were navigating a sea which long habit must have
rendered familiar to them, and where they must have known the best
courses to be steered under every change of weather and season. The
voyages were not sufficiently long to be retarded by want of provi-
sions, and the confidence resulting from experience and comparative
security would have induced them to carry all the sail they could com-
mand without hesitation or dread. Under these circumstances we may
also suppose that the day intended was twenty-four hours, and
indeed, in the passage to Alexandria, and other parts of the African
coast, it could scarcely have been any other.
againe commeth up sooner, or thriveth faster than this flax ? And to conclude, that
wee may knowe how nature her-selfe is nothing well pleased therewith, and that it
growetli maugre her will, it hurnes the field wherein it is sowed; it eateth out the
heart of the ground, and maketh it worse, wheresoever it comes; this is all the
good it doth upon land.”
f
xlii
APPENDIX.
OBSERVATIONS ON ROAD MEASUREMENTS DEDUCED FROM THE
ORDINARY WALKING PACE OF HORSES AND CAMELS.
Independent of the operations for laying down the coast, an
account of the various windings of the road travelled by the camels
was regularly kept by Lieutenant CoflRn as far as Bengazi.
This was done by observing the direction of their route by com-
pass, and noticing the time they were on the road ; proper deduc-
tions being made for stoppages, &c. At the end of each day the
courses and distances were collected into a traverse-table, and the
latitude and longitude deduced therefrom, as is usual with the D.R,
on board ships at sea. If the latitude by these means diflFered from
the observation, a proper correction for error in course, distance, or
both was made, and the result noted accordingly.
A more favourable opportunity of proving the dependance that
may be placed on such a reckoning on land, could not, in all proba-
bility, have offered itself ; as the extent of each day’s progress was
accurately determined by the means adopted for carrying on the
survey. And it may be useful to future travellers, as well as to
those persons who may have to compile maps from camel journeys,
to insert an abstract of the different days’ works, compared with the
latitude and longitude by observations, which will be found annexed.
By this Table it will be seen that the average rate of travelling has
not exceeded two miles and ahalf per hour, and that at the end of the
journey from Mesurata to Bengazi, a distance of four hundred and
twenty-two miles, there is only a difference of 9' in the longitudes.
This is an error so small, that there are few persons who would object
to the accuracy of the places laid down by the means employed, and
yet there are many who would feel inclined to dispute the accuracy of
the average rate. But the truth is that, in travelling through coun-
APPENDIX.
xliii
tries in general, there are so many things to obstruct a direct track,
that, though an animal may actually pass over the ground at the rate
of three or three and a half miles per hour, as the camel in reality
does, yet, in estimating the distance for a traverse-table, great
deductions must be made, or our reckoning will far exceed the
truth*.
The journey round the Syrtis having satisfied us with respect to
the rate which might be allowed, and the accuracy that was to be
expected under general circumstances, we determined to ascertain
what precision we could arrive at when the direction of the road and
nature of the ground were the most favourable. For this purpose we
kept a track from Bengazi to Ptolemeta ; and having occasion to go
over the same ground a second time and return, we had three mea-
surements between the places independent of that of the chronome-
ters which, as well as those of the intermediate stations, agree
together and with the truth, to an exactness which we did not
expect ; and will serve to show that, under favourable circumstances,
and when attention is paid to the rates of the camels, the topography
of a country may be laid down sufficiently accurate for most pur-
poses. We should have informed our readers, that the track from
Bengazi to Ptolemeta is particularly straight, and encumbered
with as few obstructions as are likely ever to occur in a country
where, properly speaking, no road exists.
* In caravans where the road lies over a wide expanse of desert, and where it is
the interest of every man to accomplish as much distance in a day as he can, the
average will of course far exceed that which was made good by our party,
t See the Table annexed.
TABLE OF DISTANCES MEASURED BY CAMEL AND HORSE PACE.
Left.
Place
Time.
Teuchira
W ady . . .
Wady
Fort *
Bengazi .
Aziaiia ..
Birsis
Teuchira
\7ady El Assa
H.
10 10
12 00
1 00
4 00
7 00
9 15
G 10
8 30
11 25
Arrived.
Place.
Wady ....
A^^ady ....
A Fort ....
Ptolemeta .
Ptolemeta 7 10
Wady El Assa 1 i 07
Teuchira
Birsis
Handoola
Aziana ...
7 0
9 10
7 00
8 00
Whole distance
Aziana ...
Birsis
Teuchira
Whole distance
\Tady El Assa
Ptolemeta
Whole distance
Wady El Assa
Teuchira
Time.
II.
12 00
1 00
3 10
6 25
9 15
5 08
8 30
11 25
4 10
Whole distance
Birsis
Handoola
Aziana ...
Bengazi . . .
Whole distance
11 07
1 45
9 10
4 00
8 00
10 25
Interval
H. '
1 50
1 00
2 10
2 25
2 15
7 53
2 20
2 55
4 45
3 57
2 38
2 10
6 50
1 00
2 25
From To
Teuchira Ptolemeta.
Ditto Ditto
Ditto Ditto
Ditto .
Ditto .
Actual distance
Teuchira Bengazi.
Ditto Ditto
Actnal distance
And by these the whole distance,
From To
Bengazi Ptolemeta
Ditto Ditto
Actual distance
Rate
per
hour.
Distance
Miles.
31
2k
3
24
3
3
23
“4
2i
34
7i
234
6i 4
23? ^
374
131
22
13
81
84
201
oa
"4
8?
301
234
22
211
224
22
374
361
304
344
591
57f
584
504
REMARKS, &c.
These distances are by horse pace.
This by ctunel pace.
From Teuchira to Ptolemeta.
y Camel pace.
From Bengazi to Teuchira.
Horse pace.
From Teuchira to Ptolemeta.
Horse pace ; camels arrived an hour after,
From Ptolemeta to Teuchira.
I Single camel.
Teuchira to Bengazi.
By first measurement.
By the second.
By the third.
Mean.
By observations of latitude and longitude.
By second measurement*.
By third.
Mean.
By latitude and longitude.
By one measurement.
By the other.
Mean.
By latitude and longitude.
♦ The first measurement from Bengazi to Teuchira is omitted, in consequence of the camels having deviated
a little from tlie road afterwards travelled.
POSITION OF PLACES BY OBSERVATION.
TABLES OF
LATITUDE AXD LONGITUDE.
Names of Places.
Latitude N.
Longitude E.
Bashaw’s Castle, Tripoli .
0
/
//
o
13
fo
n
42
4 Im.
Mergip Tower .
32
39
11
R
Tabia Point
32
33
41
+
14
22
20
Ch.
Mersa Zeliten .
32
30
20
£1
14
33
18
Ch.
Ditto
•
■
•
14
31
18
+
Town of Zoraig .
32
26
48
R
14
52
20
R.
Cape Mesurata .
32
25
01
£1 2
15
10
19
3 Im.
Date- tree at Aara
32
10
15
£I
15
24
49
+
Ditto
•
•
•
15
25
14
Ch.
Melfa Sand-hills
32
03
43
£1
15
29
08
+
Soolub ....
31
45
40
£1
15
29
29
Ch.
Ditto ....
•
•
•
•
15
28
OS
+
Mahada ....
31
31
57
15
40
45
Ch.
Ditto ....
•
■
•
•
15
37
58
+
.lebba Ruin
31
33
23
-t-
15
32
18
+
Jaireed ....
31
23
27
•X- 2
15
52
26
Ch.
Ditto ....
•
•
•
•
15
50
21
+
M’Had Hassan .
31
16
53
16
06
40
Ch.
Ditto ....
16
04
40
+
Jiraff ....
31
13
27
* 3
16
23
31
Ch.
Mersa Zalferan .
31
12
48
£1
16
41
29
Ch.
Jedeed . • .
31
12
43
3
16
47
40
Ch.
Shwaisha ....
31
i
10
42
4
17
02
18
Ch.
.
TABLES OF
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE.
Names of Places.
Latitude N.
Longitude E.
Medina Sultan .
o
31
07
//
25
£>
o
17
15
U
18
Ch.
Nahim .
31
04
23
2
17
26
58
Ch.
Boosaida .
30
59
39
^ ^ 5
17
39
15
5 Im.
Shedgkn .
30
55
30
ilC 2
17
51
27
Ch.
Howyjer Rock .
30
55
37
Q.
17
57
46
+
Shegga .
30
49
17
^ 2
18
4
47
Ch.
Hoodea
30
44
13
£1*3
18
17
55
Mahirriga
30
34
21
-X- 3
18
30
38
>1
Linoof
30
23
51
^ 3
18
44
IS
Muktarr .
30
17
43
3
18
59
18
51
Busliaifa (Rock)
30
17
40
19
12
05
+
Sechereen (Bottom of the Gulf)
30
16
00
3
19
18
33
Ch.
Gartuhba .
.
30
18
48
* 3
19
32
15
55
123 .
.
30
22
22
£1 &*
19
32
31
+
Braiga Sand-hills
.
30
23
39
* 2
19
39
45
55
Ditto
•
•
•
•
19
39
19
-1-
Oorartow .
.
30
25
59
£1
Tahilhey .
30
28
53
-X- 3
19
46
06
Ch.
Ishaifa Rock
.
30
36
18
+
19
52
56
+
Ain Agan .
•
30
33
57
^ 3
19
50
42
Ch.
Allum Limkrish .
•
30
35
88
£1
Shiehah
•
30
38
35
3
19
58
23
Ch.
Gara Island (N. E.
end) .
30
47
20
■f
19
57
24
+
Rhowte Elassouad
.
30
50
00
3
20
05
51
Ch.
Ditto
.
•
•
-
•
■
20
06
28
+
149 Rock
.
•
30
53
32
+
20
06
20
+
TABLES OF LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE.
Names of Places.
Latitude
N.
Longitude E.
Shawhan .
o
31
02
//
44
*
3
o
20
12
26
Ch.
Carcora Sand-hills
31
' 26
23
2
20
02
50
Ch. 2
Ditto
20
02
45
+
Point of Mersa .
.
31
28
25
+
20
00
30
+
Amara Marabot
.
31
54
57
*
2
19
58
19
Ch.
Ditto .
.
Bengazi Castle .
.
32
06
54
£1
4
Tochira (S. E. end of the town) .
32
31
44
2
20
33
23
Ch.2
Ditto (Mean) .
.
•
•
•
20
34
10
R. 3
Tomb at Ptolemeta
.
32
42
12
*
2
20
55
08
Ch. 2
Ditto
20
54
57
R. 3
Cyrene (Tents near
small Theatre)
32
49
38
*
3
21
49
05
Ch.
Mersa Suza (or W.
end of the Town)
32
54
53
4
21
55
57
Ch. 2
Castle at Derna
.
32
46
18
*)(*
3
22
40
48
Ch.
El Hilal (small Ruin
on the Cape)
32
55
48
-K-
2
22
11
00
Ch.
Ditto .
22
11
45
-1-
Bujehara (Cape), or
Ejeburni .
32
53
13
3
22
24
52
Ch.
Ditto .
22
23
30
+
Cape Rasat
.
32
56
50
-
Cape, N. E. Ptolemeta
32
46
38
Rock off El Hyera
.
- 32
50
20
-t-
22
34
12
R.
Cape N. E.
.
Note. — Ch. stands for chronometer; -|- intersections of hearings and latitudes, or Z’s;
Im. for observations with satellites of Jupiter; R. reduction by camel pace, or otherwise ;
and the figures denote the number of observations, of which the results are a mean.
OBSERVATIONS FOR VARIATION.
Date.
Place.
Latitude.
Longitude.
Variation W.
Remarks, &c.
o
//
0
/
//
0
/
//
Oct.
s
'I'ripoly
32
54
OO
13
10
27
17
07
40
Azimuth. Rater’s Compass.
Nov.
10
Sidi Abdelati
32
42
25
•
■
16
31
00
Azimuth.
Nov.
17
Zeliten
32
29
04
•
•
■
16
43
52
Azimuth.
Nov.
24
Mesurata
32
22
41
15
10
35
16
57
00
Azimuth.
Dec.
1
Mesurata
32
22
41
15
10
35
17
12
36
Azimuth.
Dec.
6
Soolup
31
45
40
•
•
-
16
19
40
Azimuth.
Dec.
14
Zafferan
31
12
21
•
16
39
04
Azimuth.
Dec.
26
Hoodea
30
44
24
•
15
26
45
Azimuth.
Dec.
31
Braiga
30
23
40
.
•
14
21
20
Azimuth. Theodolite.
Jan.
3
Braiga
.30
23
40
•
•
•
14
28
53
Azimuth. Rater’s Compass.
Feb.
16
Bengazi
32
10
18
20
03
00
14
44
13
Azimuth. Theodolite.
March 26
Bengazi
32
07
07
20
03
00
14
51
0
Amplitude. Rater’s Compass.
July
25
Bengazi
32
06
41
20
03
00
15
13
40
Azimuth. Rater.
June
20
Apollonia
32
54
53
.
.
14
12
40
Azimuth. Ditto.
June
11
Apollonia
32
54
53
•
•
•
14
29
00
Amplitude. Ditto.
June
12
Apollonia
32
54
53
•
■
•
14
33
00
Amplitude. Ditto.
June
19
Apollonia
32
54
53
•
•
•
14
27
30
Amplitude. Ditto.
June
1
Derna
32
46
24
•
•
14
30
10
Azimuth. Ditto.
The First Number of AFRICAN VIEWS, comprising Scetjery
and Antiquities in Egypt and Nubia, the Cyrenaica, and the
Greater Syrtis, from Original Drawings by Mr. Beechy, will be
pulilished by Carpenter and Son, and delivered in the course of
the ensuing Month (March).
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